Right in the heart of Vistalba’s wine route, Entre Cielos sits a stone’s throw from some of Argentina’s most revered wineries and offers the ideal place to unwind after a day of tasting.

Vineyard views, the towering Andes on the horizon, and imbibing a glass of chilled Torrontés by the serene pool are all part of Entre Cielos’ countryside charm.

Soak in a tub of Malbec

But its real distinction is the hammam – the first in Latin America and still the finest spa in Mendoza. If you want nothing more than to soothe tired muscles or revive parched skin after a day in the vineyards, the series of warm waters, steam chambers and local olive oil scrubs will leave you instantly renewed.

For those who like their wine inside and out, spa treatments use grape seeds as exfoliants – and even include a Malbec bath.

The hammam is an indulgence that fuses East and West, incorporating the rituals of Morocco with the ingredients and natural resources of Mendoza.

In September it was named Best Accommodation in Mendoza at the regional Great Wine Capitals Awards – the second time it has been crowned with that accolade – and it is easy to see why Entre Cielos’ appeal remains strong since first opening in 2009.

Try your hand at harvest

Mendoza’s wine regions are vast, so choosing the right base is essential. Entre Cielos offers the perfect balance: surrounded by vineyards, with several wineries within walking distance and the rest of Luján de Cuyo a short drive away. The Uco Valley is still about an hour by car, and Mendoza city under 30 minutes, but you’re also just minutes from leafy Chacras de Coria with its lively mix of restaurants and bars.

The estate’s vines are vinified by neighbouring Nieto Senetiner and contribute to the prized DOC Malbec – Luján de Cuyo is one of only two DOCs in Argentina. The vines weave their way through the property, inviting you to get up close and cosy; and each March guests can even join in the harvest and pick grapes alongside the team.

Sleep and sustenance

But for those who prefer to keep a cool distance from getting their hands dirty, perhaps the best way to appreciate the grapes is from above – while sleeping in one of the vineyard lofts. Alongside 15 rooms in the central hotel, which is set among the gardens and pool, nine lofts float above the vines on stilts. The Limited Edition Loft Suite even comes with a private jacuzzi above the vineyards, so you can soak in the stars above – and hear the rustle of the vines beneath (you might have to momentarily turn off the bubbles to hear the vines!).

At your doorstep lie some of Mendoza’s top tables, including four Michelin-star restaurants – Brindillas, Zonda, Riccitelli Bistró and Angélica Cocina – with two more not far away, as well as plenty of casual options.

Closer still is Entre Cielos’ own Nube restaurant, a sumptuous space serving fusion cuisine from local ingredients. Burrata with pistachio hummus; roasted sweetbreads with grape syrup and pickled pomegranate; and fillet steak with coffee and cauliflower purée are just a few of the imaginative culinary creations coming from Nube’s kitchen. At least once a week, the terrace comes alive with a traditional asado (barbecue) experience, where you’ll learn the secrets of Argentina’s cuts – and become savvy about deciphering your vacio from your entraña.

The wine list spans Argentina’s icons and off-the-beaten-path finds, with enough variety to keep you exploring for weeks. Paired with the glorious Mendoza sunshine and vineyard views, it’s all too easy to linger at Entre Cielos a little longer.

For further information, see the Entre Cielos website.

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Nothing marks the end of summer like the school’s re-opening and the start of the annual September releases campaign.

This is the second tranche of international releases, or ‘Hors Bordeaux’, following the 50+ wines launched by négociants in March.

SCORE TABLE: All the Place de Bordeaux September releasesScroll down for Georgie’s ‘ultimate autumn case’

It’s no secret that the fine wine market is struggling at the moment, amid a backdrop of lingering US tariffs, a subdued Chinese market, and broader economic headwinds.

However, the 2025 campaign underscores the resilience, perseverance and prestige of La Place delivering a crafted – and increased – number of fine wines from around the world.

The autumn releases also present a joyous and fascinating moment to check in on both new and old vintages from some of the world’s most iconic and reputable estates. And this year’s cohort is a bounty of beautiful wines waiting to be explored.

The campaign, that technically kicked off on 28 August with Domaine de Baronarques, will run through to the end of September (with some extensions into October) and features more than 130 wines from 12 countries including: Italy, Spain, the US, Germany, Chile, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Hungary, South Africa and France.

The calendar of releases takes on a clearer structure than in previous years with the coming days seeing the release of starry names like Opus One (1 September), Masseto today (2 September), Almaviva (3 September), Solaia (4 September), and Penfolds Grange (8 September), alongside Bordeaux gems such as the historic re-releases from Latour (2012) and Palmer (2015).

The releases will be split by region giving each country the limelight – Australia, Spain, Italy, US, France then South America – with a dedicated Riesling week in October like last year.

New and exciting wines

Akin to last year’s flurry of German Rieslings entering La Place, this year is the first time wines from the Loire Valley will be included alongside other French bottlings. It’s an exciting development that seeks to not only present the best of France all in one accessible place but also offer more white wines satisfying current market trends and demand.

The number of wines due to be released may also give way to a potential dedicated ‘Loire week’ within the campaign.

Jean-Quentin Prats, CEO of Joanne Rare Wines which manages more than 100 ‘Hors Bordeaux’ wines, captures this strategy: ‘We want to focus on establishing what we already have however if there was one area we could increase, it was white.’

Indeed there are five new white wines on offer this autumn. ‘[There is an] increase in French whites, and one area is the Loire Valley where you have very high-quality products, old vines on amazing soils and great know-how. And there is a demand in the market for that,’ Prats added.

Alongside the Loire wines including; Domaine Delaporte (three cuvées from Sancerre), Domaine Sébastian Brunet (old-vine Chenin in Vouvray) and Luneau-Papin (biodynamic wine from Muscadet), are new wines from Adega Algueira (Cornamuse Godello from Ribeira Sacra), a sublime Chardonnay from Zuccardi (Gualtallary), the excellent House of Arras Late Disgorged Grand Vintage 2008 (Tasmania), an 18-year-old Riesling from Jim Barry (Clare Valley) and a red and white from Sonoma’s Flowers Winery.

Despite global challenges – declining wine consumption, tariff-driven price hikes, and shifting demand – La Place remains a dynamic stage for producers’ unwavering commitment to excellence and the increase in wines showcases that.

This campaign is a heartening reminder of the resilience of wineries and merchants striving to spotlight world-class wines (at a mixture of price points), in a turbulent market.

My highlights

Australia

There are several superlative wines in the mix this year starting with the 100-point Cloudburst Chardonnay from the 2023 vintage. It was tasted at the end of a 10-year-vertical, which will be coming to Decanter Premium this month, and showcases the very best of what owner and winemaker Will Berliner can achieve with his vineyard-come-garden. A sublime wine.

More white Australia gems come in the form of aged Tasmania sparkling House of Arras 2008 which was utterly delightful, Giaconda’s Chardonnay is another knockout by winemaker Rick Kinzbrunner and Jim Barry’s Florita Riesling 2015 is well worth seeking out.

For the reds, Penfolds Grange is absolutely top class as is Jim Barry’s The Armagh – exceptionally captivating and great quality.

Argentina

I completely fell in love with Sebastian Zuccardi’s Finca Canal Uco stopping just short of 100-points. It’s an amazingly fresh and focussed Malbec from high-altitude vineyards in Paraje Altamira. I’ve met Sebastian a few times in Bordeaux to taste through his ever-expanding range of wines and I adore his approach and sensitivity to the cuvées he creates.

The accolades continue for Argentina with a brilliant Cheval des Andes and fabulous Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard.

Austria

How lucky we are that Gerhard Kracher’s wines are now on the Place de Bordeaux. It’s a little tricky keeping up with the dozen or so Trockenbeerenauslese cuvées he produces (among lots of others) each year of which a selection are chosen to present to La Place.

This year there are five wines – numbered in order of sweetness – the denser a wine, the higher the number. If you haven’t tried these wines before don’t hesitate. They’re all excellent with numbers two, three and five standouts among the impressive range.

Chile

Ever since I visited Chile – and all of the La Place producers bar Vik in 2022 – I’ve been captivated by what’s being produced there.

Seeing the magnificent vineyard vistas and getting to know the viticulture and terroir helped me understand the efforts that are going on in the country to create world-class wines.

Seña this year is absolutely incredible – a must-buy if you can, but Almaviva and Santa Rita are also excellent. I also love the work Sebastian Labbé is doing at Viña Santa Rita wtih Casa Real. Such attention to detail is showcased in the wines.

France

The French contingent is strong and varied this year with everything from Champagne to Burgundy to Bordeaux as well as the Loire Valley providing plenty of enjoyment and value – particularly for two first timers.

Cuvée Eugenie, the Pouilly-Fumé from Domaine Lebrun delights with richness and juiciness while the benchmark producer Domaine Luneau-Papin, with ninth generation Pierre-Marie and daughter-in-law Marie at the helm, have produced a lovely and very drinkable biodynamic Gula Ana 2023 for its first outing on La Place.

There are eight Champagnes being released this month spanning six different vintages giving fizz lovers plenty to get stuck into.

My personal favourite was Philipponnat’s mature Clos des Goisses 2000 which is in its peak drinking window, but Leclerc Briant’s organic Château d’Avize 2015 is also captivating, with amazing acidity.

Clos Lanson’s 2011 is accessible and easy to drink and sits well within the list of back vintages, all tasted together in July (2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 and 2006). The vertical will be written up in a dedicated article on Decanter Premium later this month.

In Bordeaux, the new vintage of Château Cheval Blanc’s Le Petit Cheval Blanc is as good as it’s ever produced – even more evident after tasting back vintages to 2018 – another tasting that will appear on Decanter this month.

Always anticipated, Château d’Yquem’s off-dry ‘Y’ 2023 is stunning as is Château Rieussec’s 2023 vintage. Bordeaux’s sweet wines might not always get the limelight – and these are just two of the varied options coming from the lauded appellation – but it’s a great reminder of the enjoyment that these wines can bring whether you drink them young or old.

I tasted a 1975 – 50-year-old Rieussec at the estate last week and it was utterly delicious.

I have yet to taste Château Palmer’s 10-year-on release or Château Latour’s 2012.

Château d’Aussieres, the Languedoc estate from Lafite Rothschild, is packed full of flavour but silky and smooth with lots to like. Great drinkability and value.

Germany

I missed Germany entry onto La Place last year as I had just given birth, but there are some stunning wines that deserve greater visibility and appreciation.

Sweet, or even off-dry, wines don’t always have the best reputation, and can often be a hard sell ,but there’s something magical when sweetness and richness meet racy acidity, energy and vibrancy like several do in the list.

Heavyweights Ernst Loosen, Schloss Johannisberg, Steinmetz and Domäne Serrig are all represented this autumn.

I loved Ernie’s Riesling Auslese and Domäne Serrig’s Grosse Lage – both excellent quality and with interesting, historical stories behind them. Seek them out.

Italy

Most of the Italian wines were tasted by both myself and Decanter’s Italy editor James Button who came to Bordeaux for the tasting.

Standouts come in the form of Bibi Graetz’s Testamatta and Colore, both brilliant and worth getting hold of.

Antinori’s Solaia and Masseto’s grand vin deliver once again, both with 98 points and one of my favourite wines ever Allegrini’s Fieramonte is un-put-down-able.

I also tasted the new trio of impressive Caiarossa wines which offer great value as well as a mini-vertical of Gianni Mazzei’s Concerto which was extremely impressive. The new vintage doesn’t quite reach the heights of last year but there’s a wonderful signature to this wine with extreme drinkability.

Spain

Telmo Rodriguez’s Yjar (Rioja) and Matallana from Ribera del Duero are both worth trying to get hold of, as is the new complex and enjoyable wine from Adega Algueira – Cornamuse from Ribeira Sacra.

Despite the challengingly hot conditions, CVNE has produced a concentrated but balanced and finessed Real de Asúa Carromaza 2022.

USA

North American wines make up the bulk of the releases, many from the hot and dry 2022 vintage of which several were covered by Jonathan Cristaldi in his Napa Valley vintage 2022 report.

Highlights for me include the ever-brilliant Dalla Valle Vineyards Maya 2022 and an exceptional Quintessa 2022.

I also loved Luc Morlet’s slightly older 2018 vintage of Coeur de Vallée Cabernet Sauvignon and all three Verité wines from Sonoma.

The final La Place vertical to accompany this report will come in the form of 10 vintages of Inglenook’s Rubicon. I was lucky enough to attend a masterclass with winemaker Philippe Bascaules in July where we tasted vintages back to 2013.

This wine is really hitting its stride with a wonderful energetic quality to the wine despite the tough conditions.

Where value and interest lie

In a market favouring affordability, look to under £40 releases from Spain (Dolio) and southern Italy for everyday luxury as well as some of the German Rieslings which have incredible quality to price ratios. The wines from the Loire and Languedoc also provide excellent value.

Given the nature and prestige of some of these wines, prices can be on the very high side with the most expensive likely to top US$400-500. That said, if money were no object these would be my top 12 picks.

Which wines should you buy? My ultimate case of 12:

Ordered by style and score; sparkling, white, red, sweet.

House of Arras E.J. Carr 2008 (97-points): Vibrant Tasmanian fizz.

Philipponnat, Clos de Goisses LV Extra Brut 2000 (98-points): Mature and mouthwatering.

Cloudburst, Chardonnay 2023 (100-points): Sublime, vibrant, and complex.

Château d’Yquem, Ygrek 2023 (96-points): Fresh, succulent and moreish

Bibi Graetz, Colore 2023 (99-points): Nuanced and spectacular.

Jim Barry, The Armagh Shiraz 2022 (99-points): Bottled happiness.

Seña 2023 (99-points): Incredible Bordeaux-style blend.

Quintessa 2022 (99-points): Classy and energetic.

Zuccardi, Finca Canal Uco 2022 (99-points): Fresh, focused Malbec.

Dalla Valle Vineyards, Maya 2022 (98-points): Seductive and bold.

Kracher, Nummer 3 TBA 2022 (98-points): Exotic and zingy.

Dr Loosen, Riesling Auslese 2019 (98-points): Dense yet invigorating.

History of the releases

Beginning as a niche extension to Bordeaux’s en primeur system, the twice yearly ‘Hors Bordeaux’ releases have grown into a global fine wine powerhouse providing international producers access to premium markets via the region’s efficient distribution network.

Collectors can secure allocations at ex-cellar prices, often with ageing potential that drives secondary market value. These releases, many of which are actually back vintages, will test the market sentiment post a lacklustre Bordeaux 2024 en primeur campaign that failed to ignite serious enthusiasm despite some heavy discounts on 2023 release prices.

Generally a good indicator of enthusiasm is the appeal for Opus on the 1st of the month, this year releasing at a recommended UK onward selling price of £235 (8% down on the 2021 / 6% down on the 2019 according to Wine Lister.

It comes to the market below all recent back vintages. The consulting, data and analytics company said: ‘As one of September’s perennial best sellers, if any release has a chance of seeing demand in this difficult market, it’s Opus One.’

One courtier noted: ‘Everyone is waiting to see what the release prices for Opus and Almaviva will be – if they’re good for the market and people buy it will create a dynamic demand’.

It’s not just about price however, similar to the Bordeaux 2024s. There will be brands who have to decrease and some who will hold firm from strategy or lack of increase over the years. Let’s hope there’s some rebounding for this collection of wines.

Yet to be tasted

• Pym Rae, Mount Veeder, Napa Valley 2021
• Klein Constantia, Vin de Constance, Constantia, 2022
• Quintessa, Illumination, Sonoma County, 2024
• Flowers, Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast, 2023
• Château Palmer, Margaux 3éme Grand Cru Classe, 2015
• Château Latour, 1er Grand Cru Classe, Pauillac, 2012

Additional tasting notes for this report were done by Tina Gellie, James Button, Ines Salpico, Jonathan Cristaldi. In some instances there may be two tasting notes.

SCORE TABLE: All the Place de Bordeaux September releases:

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The Michelin constellation shines ever more brightly in Argentina following the release of the country’s second report. The gastronomy guide, which included 25 new entries across categories – three new flagship stars, three Bib Gourmands, three green stars and 16 recommended – confirmed that Buenos Aires and Mendoza, the two regions covered by the guide, take sustainability and eco-responsibility seriously. The up-and-coming generation of chefs and sommeliers also proved their mettle.

Gwendal Poullennec, international director of Michelin Guide, noted the inspectors had been enchanted by the local gastronomy scene. ‘They continue to discover that Argentina emphasises each establishment’s personality, signalling great professionalism, growing concern for eco-responsibility and renewing the value of Argentina’s best products,’ he said.

Excellence consolidated

The Michelin Guide Buenos Aires & Mendoza 2025 was unveiled at an event held at Susana Balbo Wines, in Perdriel, Mendoza. A total of 80 venues – 56 in Buenos Aires and 24 in Mendoza – made the cut, boosted by the exciting line up of new entries.

All of the six restaurants awarded one Michelin star in 2024 breathed a sigh of relief s their names were announced again.

They were joined by three new one-starred establishments.

Known for its oyster bar and seafood-driven menu, Crizia, the Buenos Aires restaurant led by husband-and-wife team Gabriel Oggero and Geraldine Gastaldo, followed up 2024’s green star with a red one – a fortunate recognition as the venue celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

Oggero’s former head chef Juan Ventureyra attained the same honours in Mendoza at Riccitelli Bistró, at Matias Riccitelli Wines, in Las Compuertas.

Angélica Cocina Maestra at Catena Zapata, led by dynamic young duo Josefina Diana and Juan Manuel Feijoo, also upped its game with its own set of green and red stars. Alongside Casa Vigil, which also falls under the Catena umbrella, Angélica Cocina Maestra has taken the renowned winery’s haul to four stars, the most of any group.

The full list list of one-starred restaurants in Argentina is now as follows:

• Angélica Cocina Maestra at Catena Zapata, Mendoza
• Azafrán, Mendoza
• Brindillas, Mendoza
• Casa Vigil at Bodega El Enemigo, Mendoza
• Crizia, Buenos Aires
• Parrilla Don Julio, Buenos Aires
• Riccitelli Bistró, Mendoza
• Trescha, Buenos Aires
• Zonda Cocina de Paisaje at Bodega Lagarde, Mendoza

Lonely at the top

Meanwhile, Aramburu, located in Buenos Aire’s Recoleta neighbourhood, renewed its lonely two-star status. Chef Gonzalo Aramburu’s 18-course tasting experience impressed inspectors again with a combination of technical ability, dramatic presentation and outstanding ingredients.

Young age, mature talent

In the individual categories, young talent cleaned up and confirmed a bright future for the Argentine wine & dine scene. Nicolás Tykocki of Ácido was, at the tender age of 27, named Best Young Chef for his daring and skilful approach, merging international influences, including Korean, Lebanese, Turkish, Chinese and Spanish.

The sommelier duo Elena Cabrera and Leonel Castro Ortiz jointly received the Michelin Sommelier award for their enthusiastic work at one-star Trescha, underscoring Chef Tomás Treschanski’s ‘test kitchen’ philosophy..

Capital value

The coveted ‘great value’ Bib Gourmand nods continue to elude Mendoza establishments and were solely awarded in Buenos Aires. With the addition of Ácido, Ajo Negro and MN Santa Inés, the capital’s total Big Gourmand roster rose to 10.

MN Santa Inés, led by chef Jazmín Marturet, was a welcome surprise. Operating out of a former industrial bakery, in Buenos Aires’ offbeat Paternal neighbourhood, that Maruret renovated with her father, MN Santa Inés offering was singled out by inspectors ‘for its international and eclectic flavours’.

16 other venues, including a host of 2024 openings, were added to the guide’s ‘selected restaurants’ list. These include Ultramarinos, in a second Michlin nod for chef Maxi Rossi of Picarón fame; Michel Rolland Grill & Wine, a concept built around the cellar and tasted of the renowned oenology consultant; La Vid at Bodega Norton; and Martino Wines, at the eponymous winery in Mendoza. Osadía de Crear at Susana Balbo Wines added a green star to its guide entry.

The growth and diversity of this year’s edition attests to the vibrancy and evolution of the Argentine hospitality industry, consolidating its status – alongside fierce competition from some of its neighbours – as a culinary powerhouse.

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Whether you’re looking to fête the start of 2025 in the utmost style or still planning this year’s calendar, we’ve pulled together some of the most decadent ways to celebrate the end of the winter season and beyond – because why should the party stop after New Year’s Eve?

If you’re still trying to find a gift for that family member whose wine collection has it all, we’ve got the perfect collector’s set from Bordeaux.

And what could be a more memorable experience for your gastronomic friends than a trip to Mendoza with legendary South American chef Francis Mallmann?

From cocktail pop-ups in chic ski cabins in Japan, to Champagne-fuelled dinner parties in three Michelin-starred restaurants and a new countryside chic hotel on Burgundy’s wine route, 2025 is gearing up to be a banner year for luxury.

Dine with iconic winemakers during a private tasting experience at three Michelin-starred Mirazur in the French Riviera

Housed in a glass-encased, 1930s rotunda watchtower perched over the Mediterranean on the French Riviera, chef Mauro Colagreco’s three-starred Mirazur is the definition of destination dining.

Surrounded by five hectares of permaculture and biodynamic gardens planted with more than 1,500 varieties – which includes 70 types of tomatoes alone – Mirazur has revived forgotten species while also introducing new ones.

The garden’s produce is the highlight of the plates during the carte blanche menu dubbed Univers, which looks to the movement of the planets and basics of biodynamics to guide the dishes.

This season, Mirazur wrapped up its first edition of exclusive winemaker dinners hosted in the private La Puerta space, where up to 15 guests dine table d’hôte-style at a communal table alongside the chef de cave or winemaker from lauded wine and Champagne houses.

This year’s standout lineup: Domaine Jacques Selosse, Artémis Domaines’ Bouchard Père et Fils and Domaine d’Eugénie, and Château d’Yquem, to name a few.

Watch Colagreco’s team in the open kitchen as they prep the nine-course tasting menu designed specifically around the latest and most iconic vintages from guest wineries.

The second edition will pop up throughout 2025 (dates yet to be announced).

Join chefs Francis Mallmann and award-winning pitmaster Aaron Franklin for a masterclass in Mendoza, Argentina

If you’re trying to decide what your first international trip of 2025 should be, we have the perfect pick to add to your calendar.

South America’s superstar chef Francis Mallmann is teaming up with award-winning chef Aaron Franklin, of Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Texas, for the five-day Smoke & Fire masterclass, taking place 12-16 February at The Vines Resort & Spa in Mendoza, Argentina.

Argentine asado meets traditional Texas barbecue as you learn the art of grilling and smoking alongside these masters in the Uco Valley.

Franklin, who is building a custom smoker for the special occasion, will cover everything from smoking techniques to perfecting his famous sauces and sides, while Mallmann will guide you through the art of cooking over open flames – with fireside chats, local boutique wines, and tango thrown in between.

The trip (not including airfare or transfers) starts at US$14,690 for members or US$34,020 for guests in a one-bedroom deluxe garden villa (single occupancy).

Indulge in decadent aprés-ski wine pairing dinners during The Little Nell’s Chefs & Somms Series in Aspen

Aspen’s The Little Nell, whose wine programme counts more than 20,000 bottles (led by wine director Chris Dunaway), is kicking off the new year with an impressive lineup of culinary creatives and world-renowned sommeliers during its Chefs & Somms Series, which coincides with ski season.

The mini world tour will bring everyone from Michelin-starred chef Egon Heiss of Castel Fragsburg to Australia’s first Master of Wine, Michael Hill Smith, and chef Mark Lundgaard of two-starred Kong Hans Kælder in Copenhagen, who will helm a special collaboration dinner with Krug x Flower on 15 February.

Reservations here

Journey through a bespoke Champagne tasting at L’Assiette Champenoise

Champagne Rendez-Vous’ Fiona Perrin has curated an immersive Champagne experience of esteemed growers and more under-the-radar gems to pair alongside an eight-course tasting menu at L’Assiette Champenoise near Reims, in the heart of Champagne.

From the six-seat chef’s table, glimpse into the kitchen and watch as three Michelin-starred chef Arnaud Lallement and his team prepare dishes designed around four cuvées from Champagne Rendez-Vous, with Perrin guiding the journey through her selection of exceptional bubbles.

Available for lunch or dinner with a one-night stay at L’Assiette Champenoise (reservations here); 595€ per person.

Step into the newly opened, crystal-draped Ducasse Baccarat in Paris

Celebrated French chef Alain Ducasse – one of only two chefs to hold 21 Michelin stars throughout his career – has joined forces with haute French fine crystal house Baccarat, transforming the historic hôtel particulier in Paris’ well-heeled 16th arrondissement into a combined artist residency, cultural centre and gastronomic culinary experience.

Each element of Maison Baccarat is designed to be immersive. From pieces of Baccarat’s heritage collection on display, to a ‘chapel of light’ installation by stained-glass artist Pierre Tatin, which will guide you to the Jérémie Attali-designed garden, debuting in 2025.

Another highlight: the Tuzla chandelier – composed of 157 lights and 9,000 crystal pendants – illuminating the main staircase (pictured).

As for the signature Alain Ducasse Baccarat restaurant, start with a cocktail by Margot Lecarpentier (the mastermind behind one of Paris’ top cocktail bars, Combat) at Bar Midi-Minuit, which is paired with four bites created by the restaurant’s gastronomic trio of chefs: Alain Ducasse, Christophe Saintagne and Robin Schroeder.

Then, make your way to the restaurant swathed in raw oak screens by sculptor Jean-Guillaume Mathiaut and Baccarat artisan-crafted blown crystal drops hanging from the fresco-painted ceiling.

The collection of impressive artwork extends to the upstairs tasting cellar, where you can sip wines selected by Groupe Ducasse’s head sommelier, Bernard Neveu, while admiring a canopy illustration by painter Gérard Garouste that expresses the four elements essential to the alchemy of crystal: water, earth, air and fire.

Sip craft cocktails at Niseko Confidential’s alpine-chic cabin in the Japanese ski village of Hirafu

Award-winning cocktail bar Tokyo Confidential is bringing a taste of the Japanese capital to the slopes this season with a winter pop-up dubbed Niseko Confidential, taking over an alpine cabin in the heart of Hirafu.

Tokyo Confidential’s eclectic art collection like retro Godzilla posters and a giant inflatable maneki-neko (the Japanese ‘fortune cat’) will brighten the traditional rustic interiors.

You can warm up with après-ski-inspired cocktails like the Gingerbread Old Fashioned (pictured), a blend of bourbon, gingerbread and bitters, or the Pumpkin Spiced Latte for Grown-Ups, a mix of autumn spiced tea, Cognac and cream.

Menus start at $261; reservations here.

Spend the night at Burgundy’s newest address, the plush Bellevigne

The first of Les Hôtels (Très) Particuliers’ properties to debut on the French wine routes, 37-room Bellevigne Bourgogne sits at the foot of a church tower in the wine village of Chambolle-Musigny in the Côte de Nuits, halfway between Beaune and Dijon.

Wine-inspired décor and antique furniture are scattered across the old manor home, where terraces perch over the garden, original wooden beams extend across high ceilings, and the design elegantly embraces countryside chic with canopied beds and claw-foot standing tubs.

In the tasting room and centuries-old vaulted cellars, you’ll find more than 1,000 wine references, including exclusive allocations and lesser-known producers.

A private lounge features a fresco highlighting Burgundy’s climates; terroir-themed fare is served in the oenophile library and out on the patio.

And the Tannin Spa offers everything from an outdoor pool, sauna and hammam to treatments featuring French organic line Absolution.

Visit Maison Ruinart’s experiential 4 Rue des Crayères in Reims

Champagne is known for its reservation-only policy when it comes to visits and tastings, but Maison Ruinart’s latest project, 4 Rue des Crayères, offers a first-of-its-kind sensory experience in Reims.

Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, interior designer Gwenaël Nicolas and landscape artist Christophe Gautrand spent the past three years transforming the centuries-old Champagne house’s estate.

A sculpture garden championing local biodiversity encases the new stone-and-glass Nicolas Ruinart Pavilion, designed from natural, bio-sourced materials and constructed with the help of local artisans and skilled stonemasons.

‘Shape is important and the maison is very symmetrical, so I wanted to bring some kind of positive imperfection,’ said Fujimoto during the debut this fall.

‘The beautiful curvature creates a nice harmony and contrast with the existing maison’s [19th-century facades].’

At 4 Rue des Crayères, you can dine and drink at the Bar by Ruinart, which serves a selection of champagne cocktails designed by Maison Cravan, like the Royal Shiso with Ruinart Blanc de Blancs and green shiso leaves, as well as a selection of Ruinart cuvées.

On the opposite side of the expansive, light-drenched space, pick up a bottle (or a few) at the boutique, which also features gorgeous housewares like candle holders made from vine cuttings.

‘The building, when you see it, is like a projection of Ruinart in the future—we’re creating a new history for Ruinart,’ said Nicolas.

‘We took elements like a carafe and created a sculpture of upside down bottles as a metaphor of how champagne comes from the past. Everyone was surprised, expecting to see a château, and instead you see a sculpture.’

Join We Are ONA’s new pop-up series for 2025

After a pop-up in a train station during Art Basel Paris, creative culinary studio We Are ONA returned last month in partnership with multidisciplinary artist, artistic director, architect and designer Alexandre de Betak.

Taking over a Haussmannian apartment under construction on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris, overlooking the Tuileries Garden, the week-long pop-up (running from 10-16 December) offered a peek of what’s to come in the scaffolding-filled space.

At the helm of the cuisine for this edition: Alexis Bijaoui (pictured below), who cut his teeth at now-closed Relæ in Copenhagen and L’Arpège in Paris before co-founding L’Auberge de La Roche in the village of Valdeblore, in France’s Mercantour National Park.

Culinary pop-ups will continue throughout 2025 (dates yet to be announced).

Look out for future reservations here

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That Susana Balbo has been a pioneering force in Argentine (and South American) wine goes without saying.

Her talent as a winemaker, entrepreneurial spirit, resilience in the face of many challenges and the way in which she has reframed the possibilities for women in the wine industry make her one of the sector’s most respected names.

Which explains her worthy inclusion in Decanter’s Hall of Fame in 2024.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores for Susana Balbo’s eight vintages of Signature White Blend

Landmark year

Serendipitously – and rather symbolically – the bestowment of Decanter’s lifetime achievement award coincided with the 25th anniversary of Balbo’s eponymous project, founded in 1999 as Dominio del Plata. Her winery and range now bear her name – appropriately, for hers are wines with a very personal imprint.

Beyond the Hall of Fame recognition, the quarter-century anniversary was marked by the release of a special library edition of Cabernet Sauvignon from the flagship Nosotros range.

However, rather than merely celebrating her achievements, Balbo used the landmark year to consider the evolution of one of her now best-known – and itself pioneering – wines, the Signature White Blend.

A vertical tasting of all vintages since the inaugural 2016 provided an opportunity to consider the wine’s evolution and potential, as well as its meaning for South American wine more broadly.

Indeed, if South America has now firmly established itself as a safe source of fine red wine – of consistent quality, expressiveness and collectability – the full potential for premium whites is yet to be fully unleashed. But a revolution is afoot, with Balbo’s Signature White Blend a strong step forward – for the path it has opened and questions it has raised.

Balbo herself recognises that the Signature White Blend is a work in progress; a journey of learning – as ever – and discovery that shows a humble recognition of work yet to be done.

Embracing the challenge

The genesis of a Bordeaux-inspired white blend was a visit by Tim Atkin MW to Balbo’s winery in Mendoza.

‘Chatting to Susana Balbo one day, I bemoaned the relative shortage of good white blends in Argentina,’ explains Atkin.

Wouldn’t there be potential to produce an age-worthy wine, Argentine in its essence, to rival the world’s best whites and match the country’s great reds? ‘So a week later, we sat down with a Sémillon from Mendel, a Sauvignon Blanc from Giuseppe Franceschini and her own Torrontés and played with some components for fun.’

Not one to shy away from a good challenge and always driven by great curiosity (creative as well as technical) Balbo set out to add the experiment to her aptly-named Signature range.

‘Little did I imagine that she would go ahead and make a wine based on our cuvée. Not only that, she improved on it,’ Atkin continues.

Queen of Torrontés – and much more

Having started her career in the cradle of Torrontés Riojano, in Cafayate (Salta), and often referred to as the ‘Queen’ of Argentina’s flagship white variety (see latest releases of her Signature Barrel Fermented and Late Harvest iterations for proof), Balbo was well placed to make the best of the variety’s aromatic and textural potential, alongside classical French counterparts.

Balbo says that blending is the winemaker’s greatest skill; the ability to produce something that is more than the sum of its parts. The signature White Blend indeed shows how Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon can work to each other’s benefit: the florality of Torrontés outlined by Sauvignon’s herbaceousness; the woolly weight of Sémillon (especially with some years in bottle) lifted by the aromatic vividness of its counterparts; the zesty scalpel of Sauvignon softened by the barrel-aged Torrontés and unctuous Sémillon.

‘Textural’ is a word often used to describe this wine. Texture is indeed central to the identity of the wine, a product of multiple, complementary factors. The Sémillon and Sauvignon grapes undergo pre-fermentative maceration; Sauvignon and Torrontés are fermented in oak, where they are kept on the lees for two months; the final blend ages for up to six months in barrel (60% of which new).

The subtle phenolic grip at the core of this wine is key to its medium-term development, showing particularly well in vintages 2018 to 2020.

Vintages 2016 and 2017, with the weighty, nutty depth of Sémillon emerging more vividly, suggest there’s great potential for this to become a wine designed to be drunk with even more time in bottle.

Leveraging further potential

Which left me wondering whether Balbo is treading too carefully. Could Torrontés be brought to the forefront, especially in vintages where Sauvigon Blanc tends to dominate the aromatic palette and the wine therefore seems a bit more removed from its place? Is there perhaps potential for more ageing in barrel?

Some vintages seem to suggest that the marrying of the blend and the textural potential would benefit from a bit more wood. And moving the dial into slightly more oxidative territory might add an interesting depth of field. If so, more extended macerations might add complexity without loss of elegance.

Such questions would not be asked, however, if the wine did not show, already, the character, poise and evolution potential of a great white. Atkin says that since its first vintage, the Signature White Blend ‘has gone on to become one of South America’s finest and most distinctive whites’.

‘The first one was good, of course, but since then she’s refined the blend and improved the quality. I’m proud to have inspired her to make something so good.’

Curiosity and anticipation is how we’ll wait to see how Balbo takes it further.

Susana Balbo Signature White Blend – all released vintages scored and tasted:

Wines in order of release, with latest release shown first. 

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Susana Balbo is not a woman you easily forget. Visionary, pioneering, courageous, perseverant and strong are just a clutch of the adjectives regularly used to describe her. But if you meet Susana, it’s her silent command of a room and her steady, focused gaze that will stop you in your tracks.

Although elegant in appearance and petite in stature, Susana has a formidable presence. The tremendous respect she commands today, now in her late 60s, is both hard earned and hard fought.

This year’s recipient of our Decanter Hall of Fame Award, the latest in a roll-call of great names in the wine world, Susana Balbo didn’t just break the glass ceiling for women in South America, she completely shattered it, becoming a role model for generations to follow.

And regardless of her gender, she has masterfully achieved exceptional milestones – facing often unfathomable challenges along the way.

Scroll down to read more about Susana’s extraordinary career

Intuition for innovation

Susana’s winemaking story has an unlikely start. Although she was born in Argentina’s wine capital – the mountain city of Mendoza – her parents worked in textiles. Her aspiration as a young adult was to study nuclear physics; wine wasn’t part of the plan.

But fate intervened, in the way it often does, and the economic turmoil and political unrest of late-1970s Argentina scuppered her plans to study further afield. Instead, she signed up for the most science-driven course she could take locally: winemaking.

Although other women started the course with her, Susana was the lone female to make it to the end. Her perseverance set a new precedent – she became the first female winemaker in South America. She also graduated top of her class.

None of which made the reality of being Argentina’s only female winemaker any easier. To make things worse, the country was still in crisis and jobs were particularly hard to come by. She spent months experiencing rejection as she looked for work.

‘I was one of 89 applicants for Michel Torino,’ says Susana of the job she eventually pipped 88 men to the post for. ‘We spent three months interviewing. There were so many tests – even psychological ones!’

The owners picked Susana as their first choice, but not without warning her that women were either ‘very good, or very bad at their jobs – never in the middle’, as she recalls. She was given a trial period of one month in which to prove herself.

And prove herself she did. The then 25-year-old moved more than 1,000km from her home to the remote mountain village of Cafayate. After days travelling on winding mountain roads, she arrived at an outdated, decaying winery with no electricity and a cellar full of oxidised wines.

‘The wines tasted horrible!’ she says, recoiling in horror even now. ‘There were so many problems.’

Her smart, rebellious streak kicked in. She called the regulatory body and begged them not to visit her for three months. ‘I knew what I had to do, but 90% of the winemaking processes were forbidden. It was the only way I could save the wines!’

Using her aptitude for science and enthusiasm for technology, she salvaged the wines and put a plan in place to ensure the same mistakes would never be committed again.

She brought stainless steel tanks along the mountain roads and when truck drivers refused to ferry materials from Mendoza across the treacherous Andean pass, she learned how to modify her car and did it herself. Susana was unstoppable.

Although she revolutionised the red wines, it was her transformation of the region’s principal white grape that earned her the moniker ‘Queen of Torrontés’.

‘I didn’t have much choice – 70% of the vineyard was Torrontés!’ she says with a laugh. But in reality, Susana took what was an unloved variety, infamous for being bitter and bland, and chiselled it into a crisp, fragrant white wine – in the process making it a bona fide Argentinian icon.

Susana Balbo at a glance

Born: 9 April 1956, Mendoza

Studied: Winemaking at Don Bosco technical college (graduated 1981)

Wine career: Michel Torino (1981- 1989); Lovaglio Balbo (1990-1994); consultant winemaker (1995-2001); Martins Winery production director (1996-1998); Bodegas Esmeralda (1999-2002); Susana Balbo Wines, formerly Dominio del Plata (1999-today)

Political career: President of Wines of Argentina (2006-2008, 2008-2010, 2014-2015); WofA vice-president (2010-2012, 2012-2014); congresswoman for Mendoza (2015-2019); chair of Women20 Summit

Family: Two children, José Lovaglio (age 40) and Ana Lovaglio (38)

Interests: Reading, travelling, horse riding, time with her grandchildren

Up for the challenge

In the early days, she bucked the trend for carbon fining of white wines and carried out Argentina’s first experiment with enzymes – clarification enzymes used in the production of apple juice, as they were the only ones available – instead. ‘It was a big risk,’ she admits, ‘but it worked!’

Susana continues to transform and push the quality of Torrontés, notably planting it in the Uco Valley and ageing it in untoasted oak barrels for the top wines of her eponymous brand today.

‘Torrontés is just one example of her brilliant winemaking, and she has made the finest I have tasted,’ says Toby Morrhall, a UK wine buyer who began working with Susana in 1996. ‘Torrontés is sometimes excessively aromatic and not easy to drink. [But Susana achieves] beautiful essential oil-like aromas, as found in orange peel, without astringency.

This is a superb technical achievement that transcends the limitations of the Torrontés variety. She has a relentless thirst for the latest research and technology, and her ability and determination are transparently obvious.’

She has been at the forefront of Argentina’s new premium white wine movement and while she admits she has a special fondness and is ‘grateful to Torrontés, as it put me on the map’, Susana is actually far more of a red wine woman. Cabernet Sauvignon is her favourite grape variety to make – even above Argentina’s signature Malbec.

Why Cabernet? ‘I guess I like the challenge… There are many great Cabernet Sauvignons all over the world, whereas we have no competitors with Malbec.’ Never afraid to throw down the gauntlet, she adds: ‘I like to challenge myself to make a wine that can stand up to other wines of the world.’

Skills beyond the cellar

Susana’s tenacity and skill as a winemaker gained her prestigious winemaking posts in Argentina and as a consultant abroad. But she never stayed in her comfort zone for long, instead challenging herself to take on greater responsibility, venturing bravely into the business of wine and becoming one of Argentina’s first female winery founders.

What makes these achievements even more impressive are the hurdles she overcame to reach them. Her time in Salta ended in frustration and deprivation after the then-new owners ‘didn’t pay me a whole year of my salary’, which Susana says forced her to move back to Mendoza, babes in arms, to start again.

She experienced painful personal rejection when her parents founded a winery with her brother, leaving her out of the family business.

And Susana has had to pick up the pieces from her own two wineries – one with her first ex-husband, which went under after they were scammed in 1994 during Argentina’s period of hyperinflation; and subsequently having to buy out her second ex-husband when their differences became too great to work together, as a result of which she took on the winery single-handed. Put simply, Susana doesn’t give up.

‘I have had some traumatic experiences and challenges,’ she reflects. ‘But I am a positive person. It is only when you are challenged in life that you can realise certain talents. I believe things happen for a reason.’

This attitude and drive is what her closest colleagues recall. ‘Susana has always been a woman of strength and great confidence,’ affirms Mariano di Paolo, who worked with her at Bodegas Esmeralda (now Catena Zapata) in the early 1990s. ‘She was always challenging herself to move forward and continues to drive forward today.’

Susana herself attributes this drive to her great faith – as a devout Catholic. ‘My life has had its ups and downs, but my faith has driven me,’ she says. ‘I think God never gives you more challenges than you can handle. You should never surrender.’

Four women Susana admires

Mother Teresa

‘She’s a saint and gave everything to people who had absolutely nothing. The generosity and empathy she had for other people is incomparable.’

Indira Ghandi

‘When she needed to solve the problems she had, the United Nations left her alone to solve the problems – and she did.’

Jancis Robinson MW

‘She settled herself as an authority in the wine world.’

Helen Turley

‘She was the first to change the style of Zinfandel, and in some way I identify myself with her journey.’

Ambition for change

Another of her callings has been in the political arena – bringing change to the wine industry, for Argentina and for women. She campaigned hard to become the first female president of Wines of Argentina (WofA): ‘Nobody wanted to vote for me… The big wineries all tried to convince me not to do it. But I have never been afraid of what other people think about me.’

Instead, she went to the small growers, listened to their concerns and gained their trust. She won the presidency.

By the end of her term, she had left such an impression that she was voted in unanimously as president twice more.

In her time as president, Susana tripled membership, profoundly grew WofA’s international presence and, most importantly, helped to ‘sell Argentina’ – with a series of visionary marketing campaigns that not only showed the beauty of the wine regions, but the culture of Argentina: its tango, mountains and gastronomy.

‘We made Argentina exist as a category internationally!’

Helping to open eyes to Argentinian wine is clearly one of the greatest sources of pride for Susana, but her political ambitions didn’t stop there. From 2015, she served as congresswoman for Mendoza – following another hard-fought campaign.

She started with grand ambitions, but the stagnant, corrupt nature of the political arena saddened her: ‘I thought in politics I could do what we did with WofA, but I realised it was impossible – politicians only work for themselves.’

She did, however, at the request of then President Mauricio Macri, stay on to take on the role of chair of W20 (Women20), as part of the G20 Summit in 2018. ‘I was really proud of what we did in that time.’ It was one of the highlights of her life, she says, ‘to fight for women’s rights, without being a feminist’.

Securing the future

Susana’s desire to have an impact resonates at all levels. ‘Susana is a strong woman, as everyone knows,’ says Edy del Popolo, who has been working closely with her for more than a decade as general manager of Susana Balbo Wines, which employs more than 110 people today and produces two million bottles annually.

‘But along with her courage, she also has great sensitivity and is very generous. These are characteristics that many people don’t know about Susana. It perhaps feels like a contrast to her strength, but she takes care of her employees in a way you wouldn’t believe.’

Part of this care is now to hand the family businesses over to her children, Ana and José, as well as her trusted team, so the businesses can continue to thrive in the future.

‘She has always taught us that there is no shortcut, nor an easy path – that success is 99% sweat and 1% inspiration,’ says daughter Ana, who manages tourism at their winery, three restaurants and luxury hotel.

‘I feel very privileged to have grown up being taught by her that there are no limits to what you can do. But she also taught us to focus on others – if the community doesn’t grow around the winery, there is no point to it.’

It’s this tender side of the formidable Susana Balbo, a professional I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing several times over the past two decades, that radiates most vibrantly today. At peace enjoying her family and confident in her legacy.

Her gaze is still strong, her presence is still commanding, and Susana Balbo is utterly unforgettable. She is a true legend of South American wine, who did it her way.

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Daniel Pi needs little introduction for anyone tapped into the wine scene of Argentina. For over 30 years he was at the helm of Grupo Peñaflor, Argentina’s largest wine producer. He has pioneered innovations in winemaking as well as putting new wine regions on the map, ranging from the heights of Catamarca’s Andes mountains to the chilly coastline of Chapadmalal near Buenos Aires. Tireless in his quest to explore and experiment, he is well respected among his peers in Argentina for his humble manner of doing so.

Since the pandemic, however, Pi decided to take leave of Peñaflor, prioritising time with his family and friends. ‘During the pandemic I realised that life is short,’ he confides, ‘and you have to take advantage of your time — it is the most precious thing you have.’ Today he is focused on his own family winery, Tres 14 (a play on pi, 3.14), which he started with his daughter.

But rather than leave Peñaflor completely, Pi agreed to continue on with one sole winery… a brand he built from its inception, in a rather serendipitous way.

Large and small

‘During my 30 years there were many changes in the group,’ Pi explains, looking back at his career. ‘The latest was when the Bemberg family bought Peñaflor in 2010.’ The Bemberg family is known for founding Quilmes – the largest brewery in Argentina – but had not previously been directly involved in Argentinian wine. After the sale, practically overnight, the Bembergs became the family with the most land under vine in Argentina — with an eye-watering 3,700ha of vines today.

‘In 2011 I started to show them effectively what they had bought,’ explains Pi. ‘But I wanted to show them something real rather than just figures… So I started making wines for them to share with family and friends, from the very best parcels of vines that they had.’

Pi had already been identifying the top plots of vines within all of the family’s different territories while working with the brands of Peñaflor. So he began setting aside certain microvinifications to make a collection for the family to get to know the wines of Argentina — and, more importantly, their wines of Argentina. ‘Peñaflor has vineyards from Salta in the north to Patagonia in the south… I made these wines as an imaginary tour through Argentina, using wine as the vehicle,’ he explains.

Pi’s magical wine tour for the family soon became its own diversion. The wines became the pride of the family, and by 2017 they decided to build their own separate family winery and sell the wines to more than just family and friends. Bemberg Family Wines was born. The mandate continued to be to show the best parcels of the family’s vast landholdings, but also to make wines that would stand with the best of the world — and therefore, wines that could age.

Built to last

Pi was one of the first winemakers to push single-vineyard wines in Argentina over 20 years ago, under Trapiche’s Grower Series (now called the Terroir Series).

Today there are many wineries that take you on a terroir tour of Argentina via Malbec. However, while Bemberg Family Wines also offers a convincing terroir tour, what makes Bemberg quite radical is the approach to ageing.

The new release is 2016… There aren’t many wine producers today – either in the New World or the Old — that hold their wines for seven years before release. Indeed all seven of the red wines on new release are the 2016 vintage, while the Chardonnay is 2018.

‘From the beginning, the family and I said that we had to make wines that were already bottle-aged, and capable of long future ageing too,’ says Pi. ‘It was a challenge at first, because I had to think about how the wines would be enjoyed after a few years, and I am also thinking about wines that can cellar for at least another 30 years. That’s the goal,’ he adds.

The wines of Bemberg show Pi’s quiet confidence; indeed these wines are in many ways the epitome of his winemaking experience over the past 30 years. Within the range we also see some of the terroirs that are particularly close to his heart.

Terroir tour

Pi is known for rejuvenating the fortunes of the underdog region of San Juan and his Malbec from Pedernal is nothing short of breathtaking: energetic, tense and succulent. Meanwhile the Malbec from the Chañar Punco vineyard, located at 2,000m altitude – a site he planted in 1998 – is wild and heady, reflective of the altitude and untamed landscape in Catamarca.

One of the standout wines from the new releases is from the north of Argentina: the old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon from Cafayate where Pi worked for many years with El Esteco.

After decades of trying to restrain the intense character of the Cabernet there, which is distinctively peppery and spicy, Pi finally gave in. Instead he came to appreciate that this is the way the terroir and these old vines express themselves. It is perhaps a ‘Marmite wine’ – people will love it or hate it – but for me it holds its head high with bold and vibrant flair.

In the Uco Valley, in particular, we see Pi’s deep exploration of Gualtallary, for both Malbec and Chardonnay, in the relatively new vineyard he planted where the Bemberg winery is built. Incidentally, Pi – an amateur architect – helped to design the winery, which is filled with a playground of winemaking vessels inside, but boasts a sleek and timeless design on the outside.

Pionero blend

Pionero is the top wine of the portfolio and made in tribute to Otto Bemberg, the first generation of the family that moved to Argentina in the 1850s. ‘I was studying what people were drinking in Argentina at that time, to imagine what Otto Bemberg would have drunk,’ explains Pi. ‘Did you know that Argentina was the second-biggest importer of Bordeaux after the UK in the 1860s?’

The wine is therefore his ode to the Right Bank wines of Bordeaux that Argentinians would have been drinking back then – most certainly with a significant amount of Malbec in the blend (before Malbec was replanted with Merlot). It currently feels so youthful that there’s doubt in my mind it will cellar well for another 30 years or more. It is an impressive, classy and subtle blend that will take time to unveil its full character — just as Pi had intended.

Daniel Pi might have started taking more time for himself since the pandemic, but he certainly hasn’t slowed down.

Bemberg: new releases tasted & rated

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There are said to be about 880 bodegas in Mendoza, ensuring that Argentina’s elevated western province has long been a destination of choice for wine lovers. Vineyards here range from about 430m to 2,000m altitude, and while Malbec rules the roost, an ever-growing cast of varieties such as Semillon, Pinot Noir and the Criolla grapes (principally Torrontés, Criolla Chica, Criolla Grande and Cereza) means there’s plenty for wine-curious travellers to savour beyond the headline-act red.

Whether it’s horseback riding over the Andes or matching chocolate with wine, 300 days of sun and exciting wine-related activities keep visitors returning to key wine regions Maipú, Luján de Cuyo and Uco Valley. Late summer (early March) welcomes the arrival of the Fiesta Nacional de la Vendimia grape harvest festival, while in winter (peak season July to September) powder lovers can hit Las Leñas’ slopes, and après-ski on Malbec.

Mendoza: The facts

According to Wines of Argentina’s 2021 annual report, Mendoza produced 76% of all Argentinian wine across its 146,815ha, cultivating some 39,250ha of Malbec (20% of the national total). The other most widespread varieties included Bonarda (about 14,800ha), Cabernet Sauvignon (10,500ha) and the Criollas (12,500ha combined, mostly Criolla Grande).

Languid paired tasting menus have long tempted foodies, but Mendoza’s dining scene has rocketed over the past few years to claim the title of Argentina’s most diverse food region (after capital Buenos Aires). Celebrity chef Francis Mallmann (@francismallmann) has long been associated with Mendoza, his open-fire techniques creating a show of their own. While the asado (barbecue) experience is guaranteed t0 please, a new wave of chefs is captivating palates putting wine first and showcasing star local products such as heirloom tomatoes and Andean native potatoes; veggie-led menus are finally in fashion.

A slew of restaurants has opened – and not just in bodegas. The glorious Andes range lends itself to outdoor dining experiences at restaurants such as Cundo (@cundoaltamira) and Ruda (@ruda.cocina) in Uco Valley, and Chirivia (@_chirivia) in Potrerillos. But 2023’s most anticipated launch was Angélica – Cocina Maestra at Catena Zapata.

There’s more good news given that this surge in dining spots is being matched by hospitality. Recent openings include acclaimed winemaker Susana Balbo’s SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites in Chacras de Coria and La Morada in the Uco Valley; these offer comfy accommodation to suit all budgets.

One of the global Great Wine Capitals network and the host in October 2022 of the World’s Best Vineyards awards, Mendoza should be high on your list of must-visit wine destinations. With the five-day guide that follows, travellers can visit both traditional and contemporary bodegas while soaking up the ultimate in wine lifestyle…

Day 1: Maipú

To the south of central Mendoza city, the eastern department of Maipú is where European varieties Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec began to be cultivated in the mid-19th century, spurred on by a surge in immigration, particularly from Italy from the 1880s onwards: Maipú and Luján de Cuyo together are known as the Primera Zona (‘first zone’). While it’s usually considered that Mendoza produces mountain wines, Maipú is its lowest-elevated district, topping out at a relatively rather lowly 700m-940m above sea level.

While Maipú is often overlooked for being distant from downtown Mendoza, its quiet country roads lined with peach orchards, olive groves and vineyards are a breath of fresh air. Open farmlands mean wineries aren’t rubbing elbows; it can take half an hour to drive between them, so hire a car (Mendoza’s signage has come on significantly in the past three years), or even a driver, as taxis can be scarce. If you’re staying in Mendoza city, you can hop on the Metrotranvía tram; alight at Gutiérrez station – just across the road is the well-located Wine and Ride, where you can hire bikes and staff will help to plan a tour of local vineyards and wineries to suit your agenda. Another alternative is the hop-on, hop-off Bus Vitivinícola, which offers half and full-day options.

Among its cluster of at least century-old bodegas, just a handful in Mendoza still use foudres of 40,000 litres or more – close to the tram station, Bodegas López, founded in 1898, is one of them. Fourth-generation winemaking director Carlos López and his brother Eduardo, general manager, respect tradition by continuing to create cask-aged Bordeaux-style reds, while driving forward with a line of daily drinkers including Sauvignon Blanc.

A top seller is Montchenot, a range of old-vine blends dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon, with bottlings cask-aged for five, 10, 15, 20 years or more. A free guided visit makes for a fascinating history lesson, while other tour and tasting packages are available, from about £5-£50; for an additional class, visit the Museo del Vino y la Vendimia museum a short distance away along Calle Ozamis. Other top Maipú tastings include Bodega Trapiche, housed in its impressive 1912 Florentine-style building along Calle Nueva Mayorga, while Luigi Bosca, further out along Ruta 60, recently converted its centenarian Finca El Paraíso property into a restaurant, headed by chef Pablo del Río. Mil Suelos (@milsuelos) is also due to open a parrilla experience – cooking large cuts of meat on a metal grate over an open wood fire – later this year.

Santa Julia’s story is more contemporary but no less legendary. When José Zuccardi developed a new irrigation system, he began cultivating vineyards in eastern Maipú district Santa Rosa in 1963 to showcase it. Taking up the baton from his father, José Alberto began to cultivate high-quality grape varieties such as Tempranillo in 1982, naming that project after his daughter.

Today, Julia Zuccardi is responsible for tourism and hospitality, while her brother Sebastián is winemaking director at the certified organic winery. Aesthetes will enjoy browsing works by Mendoza-based artists, while the more active can tour the estate by bike. It counts two restaurants: enjoy a picnic or a full-blown asado experience at Casa del Visitante; its empanadas (filled pastry pockets) were named Argentina’s best in 2018. Meanwhile, Pan y Oliva uses extra virgin olive oil in every dish, the ideal vehicle to showcase Zuelo, youngest sibling Miguel’s line of liquid gold.

Where to eat

Choose from one of nine El Enemigo pairings to accompany a three-course lunch or dinner at Casa Vigil close to the Mendoza river near El Paraíso.

Where to stay

Well-appointed suites and log fires await at Hotel Club Tapiz, a delightful former governor’s home built in 1890.

Day 2: Luján de Cuyo

The western side of Primera Zona, Luján de Cuyo lends its name to one of two denominación de origen controlada (DOC) zones in Mendoza, while harbouring sub-districts including the Geographical Indications (GI) Agrelo, Las Compuertas and Vistalba. Its central hub is Chacras de Coria, former vineyards and farms gobbled up by private housing estates.

Regardless, Luján is home to a wide array of bodegas, such as vigneron Carmelo Patti’s authentically rustic cellar door on San Martín, where you can sample Bordeaux-style blends, or the recently opened Anaia Wines in Agrelo, about 20 minutes by road south on San Martín – here, in a tribute to the national tea drink, the producer has developed the first mate gourd-shaped concrete fermentation tanks.

Given the urban proximity, activities are located closer together, so those looking to burn off a few wine calories can pedal to tastings. Elevation is very gradual, so there’s no real need for a mountain bike; maps guiding you to the likes of Alta Vista, Clos de Chacras and Viamonte are provided when you rent from Vistalba Bikes on Embalse Potrerillos.

Luján is home to a second Mendoza bodega that focuses on traditional winemaking. Though its building was constructed in 1890, the Weinert family takes pride in the art of cooperage, restoring old casks at Weinert Bodegas y Cavas, which was founded in 1975. After visiting the red-brick cellars and beautifully crafted toneles casks, enjoy a vertical tasting that, if you’re in luck with your timing, could even include a 1977 Malbec.

At the other end of the winemaking spectrum you’ll find Riccitelli Wines in Las Compuertas on the western edge of Luján. Matías Riccitelli is both playful and serious, sourcing old-vine Chenin Blanc and Merlot from Río Negro, Patagonia, while also creating the low-intervention and pét-nat range Kung Fu, which gets snapped up by the Buenos Aires hipster drinking set. Book a tasting and a table at the bistro, helmed by passionate seed collector Juan Ventureyra, whose plant-focused lunch menu is a refreshing break from asado.

Recent restaurant-in-bodega openings include chef Francis Mallmann’s outdoor dining experience Ramos Generales at Kaiken off Roque Sáenz Peña; La Jamonería at Vistalba, nearby, further along the main road; and in the same area, new for 2023, enjoy charcuterie pairing at Mauricio Vegetti’s La Bodeguita at Lui Wines (@luiwines).

As many wineries only open for lunch, Brindillas restaurant in Chacras is great intel for a dinner date, while a 15-minute drive north in Godoy Cruz is Planta Uno. Here, Bodega Lagarde’s Sofía Pescarmona overhauled a former metals factory to create a well-curated indoor food hall that includes wine bars and small eateries, avoids big brand names and, importantly, opens until 1am.

Where to eat

At 5 Suelos – Cocina de Finca in Las Compuertas, chef Patricia Courtois recounts Argentina’s history paired with the Durigutti brothers’ wines on her 14-course Menú Historia.

Where to stay

A welcome massage and in-room sauna is the first step to relaxing bliss at SB Winemaker’s House & Spa Suites, Mendoza’s most illustrious 2022 hotel opening, which includes La VidA restaurant.

Day 3: Agrelo

Cross Ruta 7 – the road linking the Atlantic ocean with the Pacific – to Agrelo, in the southern part of Luján de Cuyo. Home to a host of big-name wineries located at about 950m elevation, take your pick of fabulous vintages in a vineyard-to-glass situation, because the options are numerous and the wineries again in relatively close proximity, mostly off Ruta 7. You can opt to tuck into a paired lunch at Ruca Malen, a picnic at Espacio Crios, farm-picked pistachios at Caelum, a bubbly bistro lunch at Chandon, or a biodynamic tasting at Chakana. Remember all bodegas require advance reservations.

Two Agrelo top guns are Viña Cobos and Catena Zapata – named World’s Best Vineyard 2023 – located a 10-minute drive away. There are two carefully curated tastings at Paul Hobbs-run Cobos, now on its 25th vintage: and now Angélica – Cocina Maestra gives it some architectural competition in the shape of a majestic Italian-style villa complete with watchtower and basement distillery. Throwing open its mighty glass and steel doors in February 2023, the Catena family’s many award-winning vintages take centre stage at its first venture into hospitality beyond tastings – fourth-generation managing director Laura Catena and winemaker Alejandro Vigil join forces to challenge chef Iván Azar to match dishes to wine.

Other recent Agrelo openings include Quimera (@quimerabistro), just off Ruta 7, from Achaval Ferrer, whose culinary approach combines a farm-to-table concept with fire. If you’re keen to squeeze in more tastings and eat on the hop, grab a home-cured ham sandwich at the food truck where Ruta 7 meets Cobos street. An unexpected experience is Las Palapas, housed next to vineyards and the scenic Potrerillos dam, a cool Sunday afternoon electronic music party that attracts internationally reputed DJs.

Where to eat

Enjoy a hands-on dining experience picking your salad and crimping empanadas before savouring the lunchtime fine dining menu at Zonda.

Where to stay

Book a luxurious villa among vineyards then chill at the spa after a hard day’s tasting at Cavas Wine Lodge, Mendoza’s only Relais & Châteaux property.

Day 4: Uco Valley

From Chacras de Coria, it’s a 60- to 90-minute drive south to Tupungato, Tunuyán and San Carlos, the Uco Valley’s three principal departments, where snow-capped mountains dominate the landscape. Seeing the 6,570m-high Tupungato volcano means Uco is within reach and a chance to get closer to nature – and the Andes.

Grapes and orchard fruits have long been cultivated in the valley and Salentein was a pioneer in making wine at high elevation in Tunuyán in the late 1990s; located on Ruta 89, the bodega boasts majestic architecture to complement its world-class Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Malbec. Within the estate, stop by Killka gallery, whose exhibits bring together Argentinian and Dutch artists.

A five-minute drive from Salentein is Domaine Bousquet, a certified organic bodega that also produces kosher Malbec; ask to sample it on the one-hour guided visit. As sustainability is Domaine Bousquet’s main philosophy, the seasonal menu at its restaurant, Gaia, is strictly organic, chef Adrián Baggio sourcing many ingredients from the winery’s orchard.

In nearby Gualtallary, winemaker Matías Michelini’s Sitio La Estocada is a lesson in biodynamic agriculture. Helped by grazing animals, Matías’ family tend the vineyards from which he sources grapes for his Passionate Wine range. An experiential gem is the lunar cycle dinner, on full and new moon nights.

Half an hour’s drive away on Ruta 94, The Vines of Mendoza has grown so exponentially since conceiving its private vineyard project – enabling members of the public to realise their dream of owning a vineyard and making premium-quality wine – it now houses successful spin-off winery projects spawned from the original idea, namely Corazón del Sol and SoloContigo. SuperUco, the joint Michelini brothers project, is also based here; all three are open to the public. A recent addition to the Vines project is Mitre Fortín distillery, the producer (in a different location) of Principe de los Apostoles, Argentina’s first premium gin brand.

A lovely wining and dining alternative is to mount a four-legged friend for a mountainous expedition. The gauchos from the Cabalgatas de la Quebrada del Cóndor (@quebradadelcondor) lead small groups through cattle pasture and into the Andes on relaxed steeds that might huff and puff on steeper slopes. The view from the top is incredible, proffering a true feel of the valley’s breadth. Ride it or trek it – if you’ve worked up an appetite, asado (and a glass of vino) awaits at the log cabin.

Where to eat

Breathe in fresh mountain air while clapping along to contagious live folk music, paired with empanadas, at the charming Bodega La Azul.

Where to stay

Luxury hospitality pioneers in Uco, many of The Vines of Mendoza’s spacious villas have fabulous Andean views; take your swimwear so you can enjoy a dip in the outdoor jacuzzi.

Day 5: San Carlos & Vista Flores

When a bodega picks up the World’s Best Vineyard prize three consecutive times, you ought to squeeze everything you can from it. That accolade went to family-run winery Zuccardi Valle de Uco in Paraje Altamira, San Carlos, between 2019 and 2021. It’s fair to say third-generation winemaker Sebastián Zuccardi improves with age: his Finca Piedra Infinita Gravascal 2018 recently picked up 100 Parker points. Flavour-neutral concrete egg tanks let the vineyard parcels do the talking, while marvellous Andean views and succulent T-bone steaks are calling at Piedra Infinita restaurant; you can easily spend a day savouring a guided visit, tasting and paired lunch.

Another nearby estate where you can while away a day wining and dining is the Michel Rolland-founded Clos de los Siete, which houses the wineries of Flecha de los Andes, Monteviejo, Cuvelier Los Andes and Diamandes. An ambitious winery project, Clos de los Siete involves the four bodegas, run by four Bordeaux families and encompassing 850ha of vineyards, contributing elements to a single Bordeaux-style blend, while also making their own wines. And if you’re in need of 360° panoramas, drop Gabriel Dvoskin of Canopus Vinos a line. His low-intervention, cool-climate Pintom Pinot Noir and Y La Nave Va Malbec from El Cepillo have been exciting Argentinian sommeliers for years; given that he hosts sporadic yet intimate vineyard tastings – conducted with as little embellishment as his vintages – it’s worth getting in touch.

Where to eat

Whatever the weather, wrap up warmly for an al fresco lunch at Cundo, not far from Zuccardi just outside La Consulta, where chef Seba Juez prepares a classy six-course Uco-focused menu.

Where to stay

Check into a vineyard home at La Morada Lodge, just west of Vista Flores, where the cellars are stocked by top sommelier Andrés Rosberg, then toast the peace of Los Chacayes.

How to get there

There are numerous daily flights from Aeroparque Jorge Newbery in Buenos Aires to Mendoza. Flight time is around 90 minutes. Hire a car at Mendoza’s El Plumerillo airport; it’s a 30-minute drive to Maipú and Luján de Cuyo, 90 minutes to the Uco Valley.

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About 20 years ago, Argentina saw the first stirrings of what would become known as the ‘terroir revolution’. During this time, wineries began to carry out in-depth studies of their vineyards to gain a better understanding of the effect the local conditions had on their wines.

This meant that it became useful for labels to state an exact place of origin, to indicate what drinkers might expect of the terroir-imbued character of the wines.

In 1999, the National Institute of Viticulture of Argentina (NIV) began a programme of Geographic Indications (GI) based around existing political boundaries – namely provinces, departments and districts. However, those demarcations did not necessarily align with the natural boundaries responsible for lending wines their distinctive profiles.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of 20 spectacular Paraje Altamira wines

Luis Reginato, head of vineyards at Catena Zapata, remembers: ‘We were enthusiastic about the idea of putting the exact origins of the grapes on the label. At the time, you could put “Mendoza, Argentina”, or maybe “Uco Valley”, but we knew that the Uco Valley has a range of diverse climates and soils, and so we started a study programme to gather information and knowledge that we’d never had before.’

During this process, Paraje Altamira GI was created, a milestone in the history of Argentinian wine – and one of the new and most exciting ‘grand crus’ in South America.

The Paraje Altamira example

‘The work we did to create the Paraje Altamira GI was essential. We’d never studied the climate, soils and geological origins of a specific place in such detail, and we worked in partnership with distinguished experts and institutions,’ says Hervé Birnie-Scott, estate director at Terrazas de los Andes.

The spur came in 2010, when the wineries Catena Zapata, Familia Zuccardi and Chandon (Terrazas de los Andes) invited the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo to run the research programme and present the results to the NIV. But there were further obstacles that needed to be resolved first.

‘Altamira had two issues that we had to deal with,’ says Sebastián Zuccardi. ‘ The name was registered as a trademark and we couldn’t use it. Also, it didn’t have any geographic boundaries; it was an area within the District of La Consulta (Department of San Carlos, Uco Valley).

The quality of the vineyards had earned them their own name among the locals: “Altamira”. We all knew that we needed to start promoting the place so we commissioned the most detailed studies possible to show the NIV that the region had its own distinctive characteristics.’

The studies included soil mapping, geological information, satellite imagery and the assaying of hundreds of soil samples to show that the area studied – designated as ‘Altamira’ – shared a set of characteristics that differentiated it from neighbouring areas. This would allow a new GI border to be drawn up. It was then that the leaders of the initiative came up with the idea of adding ‘Paraje’ (a local term for settlement or village) to differentiate it from the trademark.

Eventually, in 2013, the GI was approved and since 2014 it has been permitted to put the term on the labels of wines from the area.

Paraje Altamira GI: The facts

Location San Carlos Department, Uco Valley, Mendoza

Altitude 975m-1,097m

Total area 7,472ha

Cultivated area 2,733ha

Climate Continental, dry, sunny, significant thermal amplitude (Winkler III)

Soils Alluvial, heterogenous, stony soils rich in calcium carbonate

Main grapes Malbec 65%; Cabernet Sauvignon 15%; Chardonnay 6%; Pinot Noir 4%; Syrah 3%; Cabernet Franc 2%; Merlot 2%; Sauvignon Blanc 1,5% & Semillon 0.5%

Where is Paraje Altamira?

Paraje Altamira is a village located in San Carlos, a department to the south of the Uco Valley. It encompasses 2,733ha of vineyards in the southern alluvial cone of the Tunuyán River. This is what lends the area its defining characteristic: heterogenous, stony soils rich in calcium carbonate.

‘Paraje Altamira is the highest part of the alluvial cone of the Tunuyán River and also the highest part of La Consulta,’ says the geophysicist and educator Guillermo Corona, the author of the book Geografía del Vino (‘A Geography of Wine’).

‘The main difference between the two sectors is that in Altamira the stones coated in calcium carbonate are found closer to the surface, and so come into direct contact with the roots of the vines. That doesn’t happen in La Consulta, where the soils are deeper and are more sandy-loam based. The soils are the key factor, not the climate, because the slope is shallow and there’s not a great difference in height,’ he explains.

Reginato adds: ‘The vineyards in Paraje Altamira tend to be north-facing and so are more exposed to the sun. They’re planted at a height of between 975m and 1,097m, in dry conditions like the rest of the Mendoza, with a significant thermal amplitude; the temperatures plunge at night.’

Grape vines and other fruit have been grown here since the 20th century and were always famous for their quality. ‘A secondary factor is over a century of flood irrigation, which means that the soils have a greater amount of limestone on the surface. The vineyards planted in the last 20 years, in virgin soils, use drip irrigation in stonier soils. They also interact with the local flora,’ concludes Corona.

High-quality wines

‘The historic quality of the grapes and wines in this area was what motivated us to work on the creation of the GI,’ says Birnie-Scott. ‘Terrazas de los Andes regards it as a modern classic of the Uco Valley. Classic in the sense that it’s balanced and harmonious, delivering intensity and complex aromatic profiles with dark fruit and lots of spice, power and precise tannins in the mouth – and excellent ageing potential.’

Leading winemakers in the area include Sebastián Zuccardi and his Finca Piedra Infinita vineyard whose 38ha are divided into 36 parcels due to the vast range of soil types found at the foot of the Andes. ‘The Malbecs stand out for their red and blue fruit, but the most important quality is the chalky texture provided by the white layer of limestone material that covers the stones, which define the place’s elegant character,’ he says.

Although the greatest amount of surface area is dedicated to Malbec, ‘historically the Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Semillon have always stood out and account for the oldest vineyards in Paraje Altamira. New plantings of Cabernet Franc are another trend that is seeing really excellent results,’ says Andrea Ferreyra, head oenologist at La Celia, which has been in the region for over a century.

The future and legacy

Since it was first approved, the GI has been expanded to an overall surface area of 7,472ha, of which over one-third is under vine. Ten years after the original studies, some producers are exploring the possibility of future subdivisions, now that they have better knowledge of the soil profiles, exposure and altitude.

Whatever happens to Paraje Altamira in the future, it is important to note how its initial appearance changed the Argentinian wine scene.

The 2013 initiative established the minimum requirements for the GIs that followed, such as its neighbour Pampa El Cepillo, Los Chacayes and San Pablo in Tunuyán, and several more across the rest of Argentina. It has also inspired some of the existing GIs to implement new studies and draw up fresh maps for their own terroirs.

Paraje Altamira: 20 top wines to try

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Early reports have suggested a significant frost impact in the Mendoza region, although producers were still assessing their vines. ‘We [are] talking about 10,000 hectares of vineyards affected,’ Mendoza’s sub-secretary of state Sergio Moralejo told reporters on Thursday, 4 November.

The Mendoza regional government has declared an agriculture state of emergency after temperatures plunged to as a low as -4 degrees Celsius on Sunday (30 October) and Monday (31 October). The Valle de Uco, Altamira, Cuyo and the Eastern and Southern regions of Mendoza were all impacted by the frost.

Vineyards in Patagonia and Salta were also impacted by the weather.

The regional authorities estimated that between 50% and 75% of Mendoza vineyards have been impacted by the freak weather, but in some cases producers fear they have lost their entire production.

On 1 November, Argentina’s Association of Wine Cooperatives (ACOVI), announced that at least half of the vineyards run by cooperatives in Mendoza had been damaged the frost.

‘This was a “black frost” caused by an out of season polar push,’ said Eduardo Soler, winemaker and founder of Ver Sacrum in Mendoza. ‘I have never seen -4°C in November.’

He told Decanter, ‘Most of the producers in Eastern Mendoza, Altamira and other parts of Uco Valley lost between 80% and 100% of their vineyards.

‘We fought for three nights in a row with burners in our vineyards in Los Chacayes and Maipu, so there is probably 10% of damage but we will have to wait and see.’

Many others were less fortunate as the frost was unexpected. It comes after Mendoza producers have been grappling with severe drought this year, which means less water has been available to irrigate vineyards – one of the methods producers employ to reduce the impact of frost.

‘The frost came out of the blue,’ Solano Pena-Lenzi, CEO of Hispamerchants, an importer of Argentinian fine wines in the UK, told Decanter.

‘Normally, there are frost forecasts; producers can reduce the impact of frost with irrigation and fires, but what was different this year, was that the frost was not anticipated.’

Pena-Lenzi has been communicating this week with the 10 Argentinian producers he works with. ‘Producers are assessing the damage and do not want to communicate the extent of the damage yet,’ Pena-Lenzi said.

Reports in Argentina have said the frost outbreak was the worst the country has faced in 30 years.

Juanfa Suarez, producer and owner of Finca Suarez in Paraja Altamira, Uco Valley, Mendoza, said: ‘We have had 100% damage to our Finca Las Piedras vineyard and 80% damage at Finca Perico vineyard. I’m really worried about next year and the near future because there’s no material to prune and this can damage the plant’s balance.

‘For small terroir-driven producers it’s a real disaster. We don’t have any white grapes and we’ll harvest just a tiny amount of red. Finca Suarez will only be able to produce bottles for two to three cuvées out of eight,’ Suarez said.

Estela Perinetti winemaker at Las Estelas has reported the strong impact of frost in the Uco Valley’s Lujan de Cuyo and most regions of Mendoza, however she said the area of El Peral where her Finca Mangato is located was not badly affected due to slopes and higher temperatures.

Meanwhile speaking about Patagonia, Solano Pena Lenzi, CEO of Hispamerchants said: ‘The frost in Patagonia, which started around 10pm lasted much longer than usual, which made it harder for producers to fight against. Temperatures in Patagonia (-1°C and -2°C) did not fall as low as elsewhere, but the frost endured much longer.’

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‘Argentina is showing Cabernet Franc, both single varietal versions and blended with Malbec, like no other county does,’ comments Paz Levinson, DWWA Regional Chair for Argentina, in a 2020 decanter.com interview.

And just two years on, results from the recent 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards point to this variety’s promise, particularly in Mendoza, with four varietal Cabernet Francs awarded 97 points, along with many more Gold and Silver medals.

Cabernet Franc from Argentina is, explains Levinson, ‘like a combination of Anjou and St-Emilion with the factor of altitude, resulting in very expressive wines on the nose, full of spices and bell pepper, and on the palate very fresh, with chalky tannins but with body and weight.’

Scroll down to see the top-scoring Mendoza Cabernet Franc wines from DWWA 2022

On the 2022 results, DWWA Co-Chair Andrew Jefford adds: ‘The appearance of two different Cabernet Franc wines in the Best in Show selection underscores the seriousness with which this variety is now regarded away from its Bordeaux and Loire heartlands.’

A variety with growing international focus, and a region with standout success in the 2022 Decanter World Wine Awards: discover below a selection of top Mendoza Cabernet Franc wines to enjoy…

Mendoza: Cabernet Franc focus

Pacheco Pereda, Estirpe Organic Fairtrade, Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo 2021

97 Value Best in Show

pachecopereda.com

The appearance of two different Cabernet Franc wines in the DWWA Best in Show selection this year underscores the seriousness with which this variety is now being regarded away from its Bordeaux and Loire valley heartlands. This Value Best in Show version from Agrelo delivers, as you’d expect, extravagant fruit pleasure. It’s dark black-red in colour, with warm, sweetly pippy scents bubbling from the glass. In the mouth, it’s a smooth flood of soft, vibrant raspberry and damson fruits which, despite the gentleness of both its acidity and its tannins, still contrives to give the drinker a sense of texture, amplitude – and satisfaction. A sense of gravity, too, lifts those fruit flavours well clear of simplicity: another Franc hallmark? You decide. Alcohol 14%

El Enemigo, Gran Enemigo, El Cepillo, San Carlos 2018

97 Platinum

enemigowines.com

Pretty and inviting on the nose with gorgeous aromas of floral violet, cassis and completed with a lifted, delicate liquorice note. The palate is graced with deep herb, pepper, crunchy red fruit and graceful, silky tannins. Alc 14%

Los Helechos, Designado, Vista Flores, Tunuyán 2019

97 Platinum

bodegaloshelechos.com.ar

Lifted, floral and bright, with very pretty aromatics of heady violet, green pepper and balsamic, then on to a plush palate textured with crunchy red fruit, elegant tart fruit, succulent tannins and focused, graceful tannins. Alc 14.4%

Zorzal, Gran Terroir, Gualtallary, Tupungato 2021

97 Platinum

POA Hallgarten Wines

Restrained, elegant and perfumed, with beautiful aromatics of red pepper, a herbal lift, pure red fruit and a gorgeous floral note. Then to a palate graced with plush, concentrated fruit, supple, silky tannins and pretty, fresh acidity. Very good ageing potential. Alc 14.3%

Trivento, Golden Reserve Black Series, Paraje Altamira 2019

96 Gold

trivento.com

Perfumed and inviting, with a beautiful aromatic nose of scented violet, cassis, dark plum, liquorice and pepper, then to a palate of clove spice, blackberry, cassis and tobacco. Alc 14.5%

Fabre Montmayou, Reserva 2021

95 Value Gold

fabremontmayou.com

Dark and brooding, with plush aromas of dark fruit and black spice, while the palate is laced with earthy fruit and graceful, rolling tannins. Alc 14.5% 

Zuccardi, Brazos, Uco Valley 2021

95 Value Gold

POA Hatch Mansfield

Lifted and floral on the nose, with hints of peppery, plush fruit, then on to a palate of silky smooth tannins and lush, fresh fruit. Alc 14%

Bodegas Bianchi, Particular 2019

94 Silver

US$32-$36 67 Wine, JC Wine & Spirits

Gorgeous, concentrated nose of jammy fruit and sweet spice; palate of red fruit, mint and tight tannins. Alc 14.6%

Familia Innocenti, Angulo Innocenti, La Consulta 2019

93 Silver

anguloinnocenti.com

Fragrant and inviting nose of herb, green pepper and dried flowers; palate of dried fig, incense and candied red fruit. Alc 14.5%

Salentein, Numina, Uco Valley 2020

93 Silver

bodegasalentein.com

Pretty, inviting aromatic fruit on the nose, racy fruit and textured tannins on the palate. Alc 15%

Antucura, Barrandica, Vista Flores, Tunuyán 2021

92 Silver

antucura.com

Restrained and elegant on the nose, with hints of violet and dark fruit; palate of generous fruit and silky tannins. Alc 13.5%

Bodega Norton, Altura, Uco Valley 2020

92 Silver

POA Berkmann

Generous aromas of cocoa powder and roasted coconut, then a palate of vibrant fruit and bright acidity. Alc 14.5%

Clos de Chacras, Memorias de Ida La Estratega 2018

92 Silver

closdechacras.com.ar

Inviting, with hints of redcurrant, cassis, tobacco and cedar on the nose, liquorice, prune and polished tannins on the palate. Alc 14.8%

Huentala, Gran Sombrero, Uco Valley 2021

92 Silver

huentalawines.com

Inviting nose of bright, clean fruit, then a palate of blackcurrant, herb, pencil shavings and supple tannins. Alc 14.4%

La Celia, Pioneer, La Consulta, Uco Valley 2018

92 Silver

laceliawines.com

Generous aromatics of toasty, smoked fruit leading to a palate underpinned with succulent tannins. Alc 14%

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The grapes have been picked and Argentina is able to file another successful harvest for 2022, to match the previous four years. However producers are reporting that 2022 was the most singular of recent vintages, with each region experiencing its own challenges.

Mendoza

‘The 2021-2022 season reminds me of a good Hollywood movie,’ said Martín Kaiser, viticulturist at Doña Paula in Mendoza. ‘It certainly kept us entertained. Our hearts were in our mouths all the way through, but it had a great ending.’ Looking back over the year, it’s easy to see what Kaiser is talking about.

The season began with a cool, dry spring with low rates of snowfall. This resulted in less water flowing down to a province already suffering from severe water shortages, a not inconsequential consideration for vineyards that depend on irrigation.

But more drama was to come. Five frosts were recorded between October and November, some of them severe. These happened in the Uco Valley, the lower areas of Luján de Cuyo and the east of Mendoza, where most of Argentina’s large-volume winery operations are located.

‘We had a very dry winter and spring with much less dew, as well as very unusual late frosts,’ noted Gabriela García, winemaker at Bodegas Salentein in Mendoza. Although the damage didn’t become apparent immediately, following budding the bunches and ripening speeds were uneven. This resulted in a hit to yields of as much as 25% in some areas and 10% across the province on average.

Rain creates risks

The rain arrived at the end of spring, between December and February. Although it fell within historic parameters in terms of quantity, it was concentrated into a few weeks, meaning that wineries hurried to bring in their white grapes to avoid risking their quality.

‘This year, the whites were the big challenge. But if the harvest was done well, they achieved good quality and fresher wines, albeit in lower volumes,’ said Agustina Hanna, head winemaker at Bodega Ruca Malen.

‘March arrived with rains that slowed down the reds,’ said Germán Di Césare, head winemaker at Trivento Wines. ‘But the second half of the month was dry and cool – as was April – and that allowed us to harvest at a more relaxed pace. Ripening occurred gradually and we were able to bring the reds to the point we wanted,’ he added.

Ageing potential

A spurt in sugar concentration, combined with ideal levels of acidity and pH, plus cool weather that helped with aromatic concentration. ‘We got balanced must, with moderate alcohol, good phenolic development, concentration and plenty of colour,’ comments Daniel Pi at Bemberg Estate. ‘We’ll be seeing wines with excellent ageing potential,’ he predicted.

But the rollercoaster of a season had one last twist in store when right at the end of March, a frost – the earliest in living memory – hit several vineyards in the Uco Valley and parts of Luján de Cuyo. It caused considerable damage, although fortunately, by then, about 90% of the grapes were in the wineries. However a final effort was required to rescue those grapes that remained on the vine.

‘There’s no doubt that it was a very unusual harvest,’ said Alejandro Vigil, President of Wines of Argentina and chief winemaker at Catena Zapata. ‘But the fact is that it was one of the best I’ve seen in terms of quality. I’m sure we’ll remember it as one of the best of recent years.’

When it comes to particular grapes, in Mendoza the red varieties to watch out for are Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Meanwhile for the whites the star is generally agreed to be Chardonnay.

San Juan

In San Juan, Argentina’s second-largest wine producing province, the harvest went well in spite of several potentially serious issues with the weather. Paula González, winemaker at Pyros Wines explained: ‘Climatically, the 2021-2022 season was about average. We were hit by three significant frosts before budding and some powerful hailstorms while the fruit was still green, but quality wasn’t affected.’

In the Pedernal Valley especially, the resulting grapes show good balance, promising fresh, elegant wines with the traditional character of the high-altitude site.

Calchaquí Valleys

In northwest Argentina – where the greatest number of vineyards growing above an altitude of 1,670m above sea level are to be found – the harvest went very well. ‘In the Calchaquí Valleys, the harvest was slightly delayed, allowing us to work in a relaxed manner and obtain fruit with very good freshness and aromatic expression,’ reported Alejandro Pepa, the winemaker at El Esteco.

This was thanks to a very cool, dry winter, followed by a healthy spring with no frosts or hailstorms, allowing the fruit to develop properly. The spring rains fell within the historic average and the summer had a warm but fairly wet beginning that slowed down ripening and favoured concentration.

The white grapes – mainly Torrontés and Sauvignon Blanc – are presenting an attractive, vibrant acidity and aromatic depth. While the reds – especially Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat and Cabernet Franc – have developed good colour and concentration, plus greater freshness, thanks to the cooler than usual temperatures.

Patagonia

Meanwhile, in Patagonia it was an unusual season experienced differently in Río Negro and Neuquén. Winemaker Hans Vinding Diers from Bodega Noemía reports: ‘In Río Negro we’re very happy with the 2022 harvest, although there were a couple of late frosts that hit some of the vineyards. Most important was the warm spring, with intense winds, followed by a summer when the days were hot but nights cool, which suited the fruit very well.’

The March rains brought down temperatures, allowing each varietal to ripen at its accustomed pace. Throughout the province, the news is good in terms of quality and quantity. ‘We’re going to get some fantastic reds,’ concludes Vinding Diers.

In San Patricio del Chañar, Neuquén, two late frosts on 5 October and 16 November hit yields by as much as 20%. After that, the harvest went well. ‘We had a lot of wind, which helped the vines to stay healthy, and a warm summer that allowed us to harvest quality grapes in spite of the drop in yield. The Merlot and Malbec stand out,’ said Ricardo Galante, winemaker at Bodega del Fin del Mundo.

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Argentina’s first female oenologist and owner of her own eponymous winery in Mendoza, Susana Balbo has been a passionate advocate for the country’s wines, heading up Wines of Argentina three times and earning the nickname ‘Queen of Torrontes’. She launched her first wine tourism project ‘Susana Balbo Unique Stays’ in February.

‘Mendoza is one of the first places people have in mind when they think about Argentina and wine tourism is becoming very important for Mendoza. Before the pandemic we had more than one million people visiting the wineries here. In our winery we jumped from 800 people visiting our winery 10 years ago to 30,000 people visiting the winery in 2019.’

‘I wanted to pour into the new hotel my experiences of travelling all over the world. Every suite is absolutely different – different colours and different textures – and stays include a visit to the winery and a tasting menu with wine pairing.’

‘I bought an amphibious plane – it’s the first one in Argentina – to do air safaris. Guests at the hotel can book the plane as far as they want to go. They can book a fishing experience in southern Argentina. Or we can go to Cafayate. Or go to Chile – fly over the mountains taking beautiful pictures.’

‘It’s important to me to keep travelling. You are able to taste wines from all over the world, find out what is happening, what is going on in the market…’

‘From this year we have organic wines from our own vineyard in Agrello and from next year Gualtallary. I believe in taking care of the environment. We need to work to look after the future for our kids and grandkids and organic farming is mandatory for that.’

‘We have low-alcohol and non-alcohol wines in development. Our first low-alcohol variety was Chenin Blanc; we want to do Torrontes and also Chardonnay. We need technology to do that – and I believe in technology. Anyone who tells you that non-alcoholic wines can be made without technology isn’t telling the truth.’

‘We are exploring a new region called San Pablo. It’s a very special place because it’s very high altitude – between 1,300m and 1,400m. Very extreme. Very interesting soil… and we are going to plant only white grapes: Torrontes, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Chardonnay.’

‘Unfortunately Argentina is almost not perceived in the wine world – though I hope we can change that. We had a perception several years ago for the Malbec coming into the global market. But many wineries are becoming boring for consumers. We need to have more people researching and doing more innovative things.’

‘Sometimes winemakers don’t take the risk. And I don’t blame winemakers. I blame winery owners because the risk shouldn’t be on winemakers’ shoulders. It’s an economic decision and winemakers’ shoulders cannot support the investment decision. That is my advantage as a winemaker and owner, because I make my own decisions. I am at my own risk.’

‘I hope people will discover Cabernet from Argentina because it’s a hidden treasure. When you see the quality of Cabernet from Argentina against other countries, you need to pay at least twice to achieve the same quality. Consumers always go for the easy part of Argentina: Malbec. But Argentina is more than Malbec.’

‘My winery exports almost 40% of other wines besides Malbec; we export a lot of rosé, a lot of white. Nobody else in Argentina is doing that. Argentina is exporting 19% white wine, 81% red and I would want it to maybe export 65% red and 35% white and rosé. Some wineries are losing a business opportunity, not doing more things.’

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There used to be a standard cliché of Argentinian Malbec. Great with steak, obviously. Plenty of black and red plum fruit, usually with a baked or syrupy edge. Alcohol starting at 14% and edging up further to 16%. ‘I’ve tasted 16.5% – you cannot finish the glass, let alone the bottle,’ notes Patricio Tapia, author of the influential Desorchados guide to Argentinian, Chilean and Uruguayan wines.

‘Those wines were part of a commercial boom in Argentina,’ says Tapia. But while Argentinian Malbec has effectively become a ‘brand’ in its own right, now a staple feature on wine lists around the world, the wines have evolved.

‘The change has been apparent in Mendoza, the vineyard in the desert,’ he adds. ‘Producers are investing in the Uco Valley to the west, beyond Luján de Cuyo, chasing higher altitudes, wider diurnal temperature ranges and different soils (above all, limestone). Gualtallary, Altamira and La Consulta are the among the small sub-zones that are gaining international fame.’

New technology… old vines

In the vineyard viticulturists are both looking forward with new technology and looking back to the heritage of their old vines. ‘Careful work on row orientation and viticulture is bringing in fresher fruit,’ explains Tapia, which in turn leads to fresher, lower-alcohol wines.

Meanwhile in Luján de Cuyo, wineries are focusing on the benefits of their old vines. ‘The region’s oldest vines are often planted on their own roots, with great genetic diversity from centuries of massal selections and mutations, giving them a distinctive character,’ says Amanda Barnes, DWWA judge and author of The South America Wine Guide.

‘In general terms, however, Luján Malbecs are typically rounder and broader on the palate, with riper black- and red-fruit flavours than the fresher, floral style of Uco Valley, but more chiselled than the jammier wines of Maipú,’ she says.

There have also been changes in winemaking. ‘In the winery, there’s a welcome movement to reduce oak and replace new barrels with old oak and large foudres. Significantly, the new generation is investing in concrete,’ says Tapia. A symbol is Zuccardi’s Uco Valley winery, opened in 2016 and designed to reflect the surrounding the rocky landscape, which Sebastian Zuccardi has filled with concrete eggs and amphorae.

A sense of place

‘Malbec is our main red grape and the market knows Malbec. But I encourage consumers to keep on tasting Malbec from different origins in Argentina. It is very perfumed and fruity but also can be quite austere, still with a lot of character on the palate,’ adds Paz Levinson, DWWA Regional chair for Argentina 2022.

‘It is impressive how Malbec can be a transparent grape… it shows the place very well. Today we can identify different terroirs while tasting and have a deep understanding of the great wines Argentina is making,’ she adds.

Clearly there has never been a better time to explore Argentinian Malbec. The bottles below should offer some drinking inspiration. And the best part? Malbec from Argentina still makes a fantastic wine pairing with steak.

Best Malbec wine: Top Argentinian bottles

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Seemingly immune to passing trends, Cabernet Sauvignon remains the king of red grapes. In fact, while Syrah, Pinot Noir and Malbec have been busy making headlines, Cabernet Sauvignon has become the most commonly planted red variety in the world, with about 341,000ha under vine globally (OIV 2017).

When it comes to single varietals and red blends based on Cabernet Sauvignon, many wine lovers instinctively think of Bordeaux and Napa Valley – not least for the exorbitant prices some of their wines can command.

However, South America is now also producing examples that are beginning to turn collectors’ heads.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the wines setting the standard for South American Cabernet Sauvignon

Drawing on a long history of producing Cabernet Sauvignon blends, Argentina and Chile have become rising powers in the fine wine field.

Cabernet Sauvignon in Chile

Winemaking in Chile owes a lot to Cabernet Sauvignon. In the 1980s, it established itself as the premium red, opening the doors to major global markets and becoming the most popular vine for planting in Chile. Today, its 41,000ha account for one third of the country’s vineyards.

Over the past three decades, Chile has been best known for offering excellent value for money, but it is now earning genuine admiration for some of its premium Cabernets and Bordeaux blends.

‘Cabernet Sauvignon has been our speciality for the past 120 years, and now we’re finally able to show it,’ says Aurelio Montes, a pioneer of high-end winemaking in Chile.

The new Cabernet Sauvignon scene in Chile follows a revolution in how terroirs are being identified, resulting in parcels being selected by wineries specifically for premium wines. This is coupled with better vineyard management and more precise, terroir-driven oenology.

All things considered, it’s probably about time to forget what you thought you knew about Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon.

A new chapter

There’s no doubt that Maipo will always be the leading region when it comes to Cabernet in Chile, but Maipo is a big place and, to produce the best, winemakers have to be specific. ‘Until a few years ago, people would just say Maipo, but today we need to be more precise about our vineyards. Maipo isn’t all the same,’ says Marcelo Papa, winemaker at Concha y Toro. ‘For example, in Puente Alto, where our Don Melchor vineyard is, you also find a number of other very important vineyards. It’s our Pauillac. The elegance of the vines there is a class apart from other areas.’

Top-class Cabernet Sauvignons here are generally concentrated in Alto Maipo, in the Andean foothills, where the vineyards begin to climb the slopes. Here, Pirque and Peñalolen are the sub-regions that set the tone. The high altitude and mild climate make for a refined texture among reds, which tend to be tense and linear. ‘Alto Maipo is a place where one can make great wines of elegance and drinkability that used to take years in the bottle to achieve,’ says Rafael Urrejola, who produces Altazor, Undurraga’s star wine, with grapes from Alto Maipo.

Further south, Apalta and Marchigüe have recently burst onto the high-end Cabernet Sauvignon scene, but with more modern profiles. Apalta is a corner of Colchagua where Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted at the foot of the mountains are achieving top results. ‘Cabernet from Apalta has improved a lot in recent years. We’re no longer looking for the potency we sought before; we’re now more interested in the clarity of fruit flavours you can get in the region,’ explains Andrea León, who has just launched a Cabernet Sauvignon for Lapostolle sourced from 100-year-old vines at the Clos Apalta vineyard.

In Marchigüe, the key is the vineyards’ proximity to the Pacific Ocean, where cooler climates, combined with granite soils, give life to Cabernet Sauvignons with sparky red fruit flavours and striking minerality. Prime examples include wines made by Calcu or Dagaz.

Finally, Maule is writing its own new chapter in the history of Chilean Cabernet, especially in Cauquenes, where Odfjell produces a vibrant, refined example ideal for those looking for something off the beaten path.

Argentina: iconic wines

‘Until about 25 years ago, all of Argentina’s iconic wines were Cabernet Sauvignons or Bordeaux blends. We grew up with the flavour of Cabernet held up as what a great wine should be,’ says Andrés Vignoni at Viña Cobos, where special effort has been put into the variety.

In Argentina, about 14,500ha are under vine with the grape (Wines of Argentina), making it the country’s third most cultivated red variety. Many Argentinian oenologists believe that a great wine ought to begin with Cabernet Sauvignon. The goal is to produce single-varietal wines and Bordeaux blends that show the grape at its best.

Distinctive qualities

Cabernet Sauvignon has always developed unique characteristics in Argentina. Vineyards where the variety is grown are planted at anything between 400m and 2,590m above sea level, in a dry, sunny, continental climate. These conditions ensure that the grape can ripen without the greenish pyrazines and fresh herbal notes that can be found in other regions. Argentinian Cabernet Sauvignons thus tend to be overflowing with fruity aromas, have good minerality (thanks to the alluvial soils) and develop a fleshy structure that facilitates longevity.

‘The experience we’ve garnered exploring new regions for Malbec has lent us greater understanding of Cabernet as well, especially its sensitivity,’ says Alejandro Vigil at Catena Zapata. ‘We’ve been able to greatly modify how we manage the vineyards and harvest times to take full advantage of the identity brought by each region.’ The result of these changes can be appreciated in the rising quality of Cabernets from traditional regions, such as Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley in Mendoza and the Calchaquí Valleys in Salta.

Argentina produces three distinct styles of Cabernet Sauvignon that should be of great interest to fans of the Médoc and Napa Valley. Classic profiles can be found in Agrelo and Perdriel in Luján de Cuyo, where the rocky, deep clay soils give rise to silky, chewy wines with a juicy freshness. Excellent examples are produced by Catena Zapata, Viña Cobos, Pulenta Estate and Terrazas de los Andes.

The Uco Valley offers interesting twists on the formula, depending on the composition and altitude of the soils. Tupungato, where vineyards are higher, provides exponents with good body, fruit and herbal depth. Los Arboles, a cool area, produces voluminous textures with sharp acidity, mineral notes and generous helpings of berries.

Finally, La Consulta, to the south of the Uco Valley, has always stood out for its old vines planted in dried rocky river beds. In Cabernet Sauvignons from here, the grape’s characteristic fruitiness is marshalled with flinty vigour.

Further north, the Calchaquí Valleys have long been well known for their Cabernet Sauvignons. Produced from extreme high-altitude vineyards, between 1,650m and 2,590m, the variety takes on a fresh, herbal profile that, when well handled, delivers distinctive wines of exquisite power.

Iglesias’ picks: the wines setting the standard for South American Cabernet Sauvignon

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‘For there to be a wine future with climate change, we will have to employ science and research to continue to drink these beautiful wines.’

These were the words of Dr Laura Catena, speaking at a seminar this week on the science behind terroir, a follow-up from the study released by the Catena Institute of Wine earlier in 2021 that showed measurable evidence for the existence of terroir in Argentina.

Catena founded the Institute and is also a fourth-generation winemaker at her family’s Bodega Catena Zapata winery.

As someone who has studied wine tasting at the institute of oenology in Bordeaux, and written a book about the subject of terroir in the region, I was predisposed to enjoy this research.

I spent pretty much every Friday afternoon for a year sniffing unidentified vials in an attempt to identify specific molecules or chemical compounds that you find in wine and then work out how to link them with grape, vintage or vineyard conditions.

The Catena Institute study – led by Fernando Buscema and Roy Urvieta, both of whom were speaking at the seminar – went much further than this; analysing the phenolic compounds in Malbec wine to fingerprint not only the growing season and climate but also how specific site and soil characteristics were expressed.

They were able, with a high degree of accuracy, to identify wines from 23 plots from 12 different highly-localised sites in Mendoza – and to correctly identify them independently of the vintage impact.

My role in the seminar was to simply to join the dots between the talks from a range of brilliant scientists, from Benjamin Bois to Kees Van Leeuwen and Patrica Piccoli – namely that the link between site and taste will help consumers seek out wines that suit them, and help draw attention to specific high-quality sites that might be otherwise overlooked.

If this research helps underline the link in the minds of consumers between terroir and excellence, then it will help create a demand for wines that reflect this.

I recommend everyone reads the original study, because you learn so much simply by breaking down and taking apart the methodology that they used.

It shows how knowing the characteristics of a specific site is useful not only for communication but for technical decisions during the growing season and winemaking.

And for the consumer, understanding that there are tangible reasons for wines to taste the way they do is a brilliant way to develop confidence as a taster.

Beyond this, the research just might help us become more aware of the risks of climate change.

If we can prove that certain sites are worth saving, or worth seeking out in wine regions globally – far beyond the same tried and tested French names – then it helps create an economic incentive to preserve these terroirs, giving us a far better chance of passing them on to the next generation.

But what also struck me, as we listened to the talks, was not only how important this research is, but what a terrible job many of us have done in convincing consumers that terroir is a way of not only understanding wine, but of making it accessible.

We’ve got so used to dismissing terroir as unprovable or overly complicated, that we have missed a huge opportunity to get new wine drinkers interested in what it can do to unlock wine’s secrets.

It made me think about natural wines, and how successfully they have connected to new consumers. Terroir wines should tick many of the same boxes in terms of what they’re about, such as authenticity, stripping away layers of marketing, and highlighting winemakers who care about the link between a place where vines grow and its expression in the glass in front of you.

And this makes it clearer why these sites need protecting. It’s in all of our interests to ensure that they are.

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Defining terroir has long caused debate in the wine world, but a new study on Malbec in its Mendoza heartland in Argentina may shed new light on the issue for wine drinkers and producers.

Published in peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports, the Malbec study ‘irrefutably proves the existence of terroir and its persistence across vintages’, according to the Catena Institute, which led the research.

Scientists analysed the chemical make-up of 201 Malbec wines from 23 different vineyard parcels across Mendoza in Argentina.

Wines from the 2016, 2017 and 2018 vintages were chosen for the Malbec terroir study, and researchers found they could identify tell-tale characteristics of different vineyard sites.

‘We were able to predict with 100% certainty the vintage of each wine of our study through chemical analysis,’ said Dr. Laura Catena, who founded the Catena Institute of Wine in 1995.

‘Mendoza is one of the few places in the world with strikingly different wine terroirs within short distances,’ said Dr Catena, who is also fourth-generation winemaker at Bodega Catena Zapata.

‘For the first time, this study shows that the terroir effect can be chemically described from vintage to vintage in larger regions as well as in smaller parcelas (parcels),’

Out of the 23 vineyard parcels involved, 11 could be identified with 100% accuracy by analysing the wines.

The other 12 parcels were identified 83% of the time, said the Institute.

All the wines were produced under standardised conditions, and 12 geographical indications in Mendoza were represented among the 23 vineyard parcels – which were all under one hectare in size.

‘Our study gives credence to what the Burgundian Cistercian monks called ‘cru,’ simply defined by [wine writer] Hugh Johnson as “a homogeneous section of the vineyard whose wines year after year proved to have an identity of quality and flavour”,’ added Dr Catena.

‘Today, for the first time in the scientific literature, the French “cru” gets a Spanish name, “parcela”, because the wines studied at the Catena Institute of Wine were from Mendoza, Argentina.’

See the full study in Scientific Reports (a Nature Research Journal)

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While 2020 is a year that won’t be forgotten by any of us, it’s also a year that marks numerous anniversaries; including 125 years since the founding of Argentina’s Bodega Norton.

The award-winning winery was established in 1895 and has a history that includes an English engineer, an Austrian crystal maker and an innovative Argentinian winemaker.

Scroll down for the latest Bodega Norton tasting notes and scores

The opening of the Buenos Aires to Mendoza railway in 1885 was a landmark event in Argentina’s wine history. It cemented the significance of the emerging wine region of Mendoza in the Andean foothills.

One early visitor to the area was English engineer Edmund James Palmer Norton. Struck by the unique beauty of the landscape he decided to settle in the region. Norton also saw Mendoza’s potential for wine production and consequently established his eponymous winery in Luján de Cuyo, planting his first vines in 1895.

Jump forward almost a century and Gernot Langes-Swarovski was similarly seduced by Mendoza’s mountain grandeur. Heir to the famous Austrian crystal company (established by his great-grandfather Daniel Swarovski in the same year that Norton planted his first vines), Langes-Swarovski acquired Bodega Norton in 1989, heralding a new era of foreign investment in Argentina’s wine industry.

Today his son Michael Halstrick is at the helm, with winemaking in the capable hands of David Bonomi, who first joined Norton in 2002, under the mentorship of head winemaker Jorge Riccitelli. After leaving to work at other top Argentinian wineries, Bonomi returned and took over from Riccitelli when he retired in 2017.

A winemaker known for pushing the boundaries of winemaking in Argentina, Bonomi produced the country’s first sparkling Sauvignon Blanc while he worked for Doña Paula. He is also known for his work on the PerSe project with Edgardo Del Popolo, based in the unique terroir of Monasterio – dubbed Argentina’s ‘first grand cru’.

No wonder Bonomi was named as one of South America’s top 10 winemakers by Decanter in 2019.

Vineyards and wines

Bodega Norton owns five vineyards, spread across the main terroirs of Mendoza and the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Average vineyard age is around 30 years.

Perdriel is the original Norton property, where the winery is located. Sitting 950m above sea level, its 100ha are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec, aged between 30 and 50 years. Norton’s signature Perdriel Malbec, launched in 1950, is sourced from this vineyard.

Located near the winery, the 30ha Agrelo Vineyard sits at 950m on alluvial soil. It contains some of Mendoza’s oldest vines – over 93 years – which are used to produce the winery’s high-end LOTE wines.

Norton purchased the large La Colonia Estate in 1997. At 1,100m in Luján de Cuyo, it contains 1,045 cultivable hectares, of which 450ha are planted with vines. ‘I’ve planted more than 50 different parcels here, on different soils: alluvial and clay,’ says Bonomi.

The Lunlunta Vineyard, a 20ha plantation of Malbec dating from the 1920s, is the source of many of Norton’s high-end wines. Located up to 850m above sea level, the soil is mosaic alluvial with boulders, sand and silt.

Finally Norton’s most remote vineyard site is 70ha Medrano in the undulating hills of Lunlunta, which has the lowest elevation of all of the winery’s vineyards at 700m. Chardonnay, Chenin and Bonarda vines grow in its sandy lime soil.

The altitude of the vineyards is key to the styles of wines Bonomi makes at Norton. ‘The altitude creates a very different situation for the vines. It means we can obtain different flavours and different profiles from the grapes,’ he explains.

Altitude moderates the temperature while exposing the vines to more ultraviolet light. This allows Bonomi to produce vibrant whites with good natural acidity and well-structured reds.

Altitude: a passion project

In addition to the vineyards it owns, Norton has long standing contracts with local growers in other areas. ‘In 2018, I started to think about other parts of Mendoza. I put focus on the Uco Valley,’ says Bonomi.

Although it only takes around one hour to drive through the Uco Valley from north to south, the growing conditions here vary dramatically as you ascend the mountains. ‘When I’m in Tupungato the temperature on a normal day is around 20℃, but travel up, no more than 200m or 300m, and the temperature changes a lot,’ Bonomi explains.

Temperatures will drop by 1℃ for every 155m increase in altitude, while solar radiation increases by 15%. The altitude increases diurnal temperature variation, giving warm days and cool nights. ‘This means that acidity is maintained in the grapes at full ripeness; you can get lower yields with greater concentration and high polyphenol concentration.’

Altura (meaning ‘altitude’) is a passion project created by Bonomi to display the impact of altitude, microclimate and site selection. It focuses on 100% varietal red wines – Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir – and a white blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Gruner Veltliner.

The three Altura reds have been produced from grapes selected from different sub-regions of Uco: Gualtallary, Altamira and Los Chacayes.

Altura Malbec comes from Los Chacayes in the Tunuyán district in southern Uco with an altitude of 1,300m. Grapes from this area can produce wines with great concentration and potential for long ageing. Bonomi planted the 5ha terraced vineyard 15 years ago, on alluvial soil with red pebbles. Winemaking includes cold maceration, fermentation in small concrete vats with malolactic fermentation and ageing from 12 months in second-use French oak.

‘I hate over-extraction,’ says Bonomi, who has been reining in his use of oak across the Norton range, allowing the wines to speak more of their terroir.

Altura Cabernet Franc was sourced from grapes from the Altamira GI, with vineyards at 1,100m on sandy soil with large stones and limestone deposits. Like the Malbec, it is fermented in concrete vats and aged in second-use French oak barrels.

In the early 2000s, there were less than 200ha of Cabernet Franc planted in Argentina; today there are 1,200ha. ‘You need to study the places that you plant Cabernet Franc,’ says Bonomi. ‘It’s a nice grape, but it needs similar conditions to Pinot Noir. It needs the right place.’

Altura Pinot Noir is grown in Gualtallary in Tupungato – the most northerly and coolest area of Uco. Vines are planted at altitudes of up to 1,600m, the extremes of Mendoza’s viticultural limits. The wine was both fermented and aged in concrete vats to preserve freshness. ‘This is a typical Pinot Noir from very high altitude. It’s not a huge colour, but it’s very delicate,’ says Bonomi.

The Altura range reflects not only Bonomi’s talent as a maker of high-altitude wines, but shows how Bodega Norton is continuing to evolve as a winery in its 125th year, exploring new grapes and new terroirs.

See the latest Bodega Norton tasting notes and scores

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Of the many different wine regions in Argentina, one stands out for its intensity and breadth of styles – an area where you’re just as likely to find a juicy, characterful Malbec as you are a subtly textured Pinot Noir, where vineyards climb up the slopes of glacier-capped mountains: the Uco Valley.

Connoisseurs will already be familiar with the name but it’s also one that shoppers ought to look out for in the supermarket aisles; a safe bet liable to amply exceed expectations. Among the most exciting wine regions in the world, the valley has redefined the international reputation of Argentinian fine wines. And the producers know it.

‘The Uco Valley is one of those regions that offers infinite variations of soil and climate types, allowing us to make very different kinds of wine, from intense, fleshy Malbecs to skinny, taut Pinot Noirs to vibrant Sauvignon Blancs,’ says Jorge Cabeza, senior winemaker at Salentein, one of the wineries that pioneered production from the valley. ‘The conditions here can’t be found anywhere else in the world.’

This isn’t an exaggeration. Run through the different wine producing valleys you’re familiar with in your mind. Which of them boasts 4,800m high mountains planted with carefully maintained vineyards? Where else does the sun shine so clearly through such crisp, hallucinatory skies?

A guide to the Uco Valley

Located 88km to the south of the City of Mendoza, in the foothills of the Andes, the Uco Valley spans the departments of Tunuyán, Tupungato and San Carlos. This explains why wines from there are often labelled with one of these three place names.

Whereas in 2005 the valley had 16,800ha under vine, today it contains 28,600ha, representing 19% of all the vineyards in Mendoza. To put it another way: almost one in five bottles produced in Mendoza, comes from the valley.

Because the region is so large, in recent years producers have been carrying out detailed analysis to identify smaller Geographic Indications (GIs). Paraje Altamira, Los Chacayes and San Pablo are some of the most famous, together with Gualtallary (for which approval is still pending), and all contain vineyards set at altitudes of between 900m and 1,500m. Irrigation water comes from the magnificent glaciers above, mainly channelled by the Tunuyán and Las Tunas rivers.

If it takes a unique region to make a unique wine, then the Uco Valley is certainly a place to go looking for them. Focused on growing high quality grapes, mainly red varieties, of which Malbec and Cabernet Franc are especially prominent, producers from the valley are also making excellent whites from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon vines.

The climate is continental: dry with plenty of sun, low rainfall, cold winters and warm summers with a large thermal range. The point of difference is the altitude, which defines the temperature (on average, it drops 1༠C every 150m higher up you go) and the cool climate has lured many producers away from warmer areas further down. All these different factors result in expressive, tense reds and vibrant whites.

The proximity and exposure to the Andes make for alluvial, rocky soils with widely varying mixtures of sand, limestone and clay in unique combinations that produce memorable wines.

Many wineries have thus commissioned in-depth studies to explore the nature and origins of the soils in which their vineyards are planted and are increasingly coming around to the idea that the Uco Valley requires a plant by plant approach. ‘The Uco Valley showed us the way in terms of familiarising ourselves with and interpreting the terroir,’ says Sebastián Zuccardi, a winemaker who grows grapes in several different locations in the valley for his wines.

Proof of the efficacy of all that study, not to mention the winemakers’ enthusiasm for the area, these 12 essential wines from the Uco Valley that I have selected will offer wine lovers a clearer picture of the potential that underlies every bottle produced there.

Twelve Uco Valley wines to try

See also:

Uco Valley sub-regions: Panel tasting results

Travel guide: Uco Valley

Winemakers David Bonomi and Edgardo (Edy) Del Popolo have worked together for 25 years. With a shared CV that reads like a who’s who of Argentinian wine – including names such as Norton, Santa Rita, Doña Paula and Susana Balbo – the duo launched their own boutique project in 2012: PerSe.

Wanting to create a range of terroir-focused, Malbec-based fine wines from Uco Valley, they initially worked with grapes purchased from growers. But in 2013 they found their own land in Monasterio, a remote corner of Uco’s Gualtallary region. Described by DWWA judge and author of the Descorchados guide, Patricio Tapia as ‘Argentina’s first grand cru’ this area is marked out by its high altitude, cool climate and unique soils.

‘What’s important is the amount of calcium carbonate we have in the soils,’ says Del Popolo. ‘Our vineyards are based where the content of calcium carbonate is the highest.’

Monasterio, meaning ‘monastery’, takes its name from the Cristo Orante order, who settled here in the mid-1990s. Bonomi and Del Popolo work in partnership with the monks, who had already planted their own vineyard near the monastery.

Bonomi and Del Popolo’s new 1.5ha PerSe vineyard was subdivided into very small plots of Malbec and Cabernet Franc, each less than a half a hectare in size, and all planted at different densities. Initially producing just 5,000 bottles and focusing on four labels – Uni del Bonnesant, La Craie, Iubileus and Volare del Camino – this year the pair have also launched Inseparable. 

‘Our Monasterio vineyards are planted at almost 1,500m elevation,’ explains Del Popolo. ‘There in the monastery we have two vineyards: at the base of the monastery, we have what we call “classic Gaultallary”. The classic Gaultallary is all about calcareous sands and gravels; this is the kind of soil where Inseparable is planted. Whereas the parcels for Iubileus and La Craie are planted up the hill.’

Winemaking for all of the labels takes a minimal intervention approach to allow the unique terroirs and particular vintage to express themselves; the phrase ‘per se’ means ‘of itself’. Inseparable is 100% Malbec, hand-picked, fermented in concrete and aged for 14 months in neutral French oak to produce a lifted and refined style. The inaugural 2018 bottling comes from what Del Pópolo calls as ‘a classic Mendoza vintage – warm and dry’.

Del Popolo describes Inseparable as ‘our entry wine in the range’, though at around £36 per bottle and with 10,800 bottles produced, he’s not talking mass-market. All the same, in comparison with the very limited quantities of the other latest releases – 1,020 bottles of the 2015 Iubileus or 800 bottles of 2017 La Craie – Inseparable 2018 represents an accessible taste of Argentina’s first ‘grand cru’.

PerSe: The wines

Bottles produced: 11,400

Grapes: 100% Malbec

Yield: N/A

Alcohol: 14%

Format: 6L

Drink from/to: 2015-2025

Price UK: £700 (6l bottle)

Price US: $800 (6l bottle)

The vintage: The 2010 vintage in Mendoza was noted for its low yields and high quality. A cold spring delayed bud break and led to uneven flowering, but while yields at Catena Zapata were down 20-25% overall, the quality and concentration of fruit across the board more than made up for this. ‘It is hard to complain about the low yields when you taste and see the concentration and richness of the wines in the tanks and barrels,’ noted the winery in its post-harvest report.

The wine: This iconic Mendoza Malbec comes from two of Catena Zapata’s historic Malbec vineyards Adrianna and Nicasia. Fruit from the old vines of these two high-altitude sites is hand-harvested and fermented ‘wild’ for 30-32 days in new French oak barrels (225-500 litre); 80% is destemmed, and the rest goes in whole cluster. The wine matures in barrel for 24 months before blending and bottling, unfined and unfiltered. The wine is bright, dense and fruit-packed with remarkable texture and complexity.

It can’t be easy committing to a stylistic change in an already successful wine.

Cheval des Andes has long been seen as one of Argentina’s stars; a joint project started in 1999 between two LVMH estates: Cheval Blanc in Bordeaux and Terrazas de Los Andes in Argentina. Known for its stunning location in the Andes foothills, its polo field and its award-winning Malbec and Cabernet blends, it has a reputation as a ‘New World grand cru’.

I last visited Cheval des Andes in 2006 on a trip around Mendoza’s vineyards, and it stood out both for its polished flavours and high hopes of becoming one of those prestigious international partnerships in the mould of California’s Opus One.So getting a chance to taste a vertical of Cheval des Andes when the team arrived in Bordeaux was unmissable. And it was then we were told about the reservations some of them had had about the style of the wine.‘It was the 2009 vintage that really brought the concerns home to Pierre Lurton,’ the winery’s Italian technical director Lorenzo Pasquini explained.‘Pierre had been at the origin of the Cheval des Andes project, and yet he felt the 2009 was at the extreme end of ripeness, with lots of over-exuberant new oak.‘He knew it was well regarded, but felt it was losing the identity of its soils and location’.

Our tasting of vintages from 2009 to 2014 followed the evolution of the wine’s style and, although you always have perfect vision in hindsight, it’s hard to disagree that the 2009 vintage is an exuberant international style. But as we moved to the more recent years, the wine both deepened and yet grew more taut, more subtle.

But for fans of the early wines, don’t worry: the style hasn’t changed too much.

Cheval des Andes is still sexy, spicy and clearly from a dry Southern Hemisphere climate. Black olives and liquorice abound.

And yet more recent wines show a vintage variation that is not always evident in Argentinian wines.

‘It’s not that they don’t have it, it’s that they over compensate to hide it,’ is how Pasquini describes it.

Moving away from a successful style always invites the possibility of disappointing customers. So why take the risk? ‘We are lucky enough to be at 1,100m above sea level for our main Las Compuertas site,’ says Pasquini, who has been with Cheval des Andes since 2014 and previously worked at both Château Palmer in Bordeaux and Tenuta San Guido in Tuscany.

‘There are no other vineyards between us and the Andes, which gives us the direct benefit of the altitude, freshness and nuance offered by the mountains. We simply want to ensure the wines are a true reflection of their location.’

To understand Cheval des Andes’ new direction, you have to get under the skin of Cheval Blanc in Bordeaux.

Not the style (Argentina is a long way from St-Emilion, in terms of altitude, rainfall, soils – everything) but the philosophy of winemaking.

Most important is the idea of lifting the veils that stand between soil and wine. These veils can come in many forms, from too much reliance on irrigation to artificially low yields to too much new oak.

In the vineyards, a dedicated team is being assembled only for Cheval des Andes, where once it was shared with Terrazas de Los Andes.

A new irrigation system uses much less water because in hot climates particularly, the key is slowing down ripening to encourage complexity.

The natural taste of well ripened grapes – Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot round out the Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon – are left to express themselves. In the cellar, no tricks are used: no adding of acid or leaving behind of sugar.

At the same time, the 100% new oak seen in the early 2000s has today fallen to 30% to 50% depending on vintage, with barrel size increased from 225 litres to between 400l and 500l, with trials of the large 1,500l wooden vats commonly found in the Rhône.

And the polo field and the stables have disappeared to make room for a new winery and cellar.

‘We still have a polo team,’ says Paquini, ‘but we had to choose between that or a cellar extension. There was no contest’.

This article first appeared in the January 2017 issue of Decanter magazine.

Tasting Cheval des Andes

The following wines have been tasted by a range of Decanter contributors. 

One day he’s tasting Malbec berries from Mendoza’s highest vineyard, the next he’s armed with a spade shovelling skins out of a stainless steel tank, naked from the waist up to cope with Mendoza’s intense summer heat. ‘I always lose weight during harvest,’ says Alejandro Sejanovich. ‘The vintage diet is the best!’

Sejanovich is co-owner, with Jeff Mausbach, of Manos Negras, and the Maipú-based winery’s name reflects the pair’s philosophy towards winemaking: getting down and dirty with a fearless, hands-on approach. And that’s not just in the cellar. Sejanovich’s passion for innovation has led him to scour Argentina in a quest to conquer challenging terroir and express viticulturally unexploited regions.

His stellar portfolio includes Manos Negras, Artesano Pinot Noir sourced from Río Negro – at 218m above sea level and 39° latitude – in Patagonia; Tigerstone Garnacha from the Calchaquí Valley (at 1,700m); and a field blend (for the time being) from Quebrada de Humahuaca GI – at 2,710m and 46° latitude – near the Bolivian border.

Then there’s Mendoza, where Sejanovich takes particular pride in deciphering Uco Valley districts including, among others, Los Chacayes, Pareditas and San Pablo. Single-soil line Finca La Escuela showcases the Paraje Altamira estate’s rock, silt, gravel and sand profiles across four Malbecs, for example, and expressing this diversity confirms Sejanovich’s reputation as one of Argentina’s most geographically diverse viticulturists.

Pointing towards the vibrant mountains that form Uspallata Valley, he says: ‘Why wouldn’t I want to make wine here?’ Captivated by the landscape’s possibilities, he isn’t actually posing a question. ‘Just look at it!’ He’s right. It’s breathtaking.

This remote part of western Mendoza, a sanctum for Estancia Uspallata’s 4ha of Malbec, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc, is otherworldly; an inhospitable basin for harbouring vineyards, carelessly drawn pink, red and yellow zig-zag outcrops surround sand and porphyry (quartz-dotted) soils sitting at 2,000m. It’s these unique terroirs (Uspallata is Mendoza’s highest vineyard) that continue to inspire Sejanovich, 30 years into his career. What’s more, it’s paying off. The estate’s Malbec 2017 – just 1,200 bottles were made – was anointed best red in Tim Atkin MW’s 2019 Argentina Special Report. ‘That recognition means we’re on the right track,’ he says, with genuine modesty.

Alejandro Sejanovich at a glance

Born 1968 in Mendoza, Argentina

Education Degree in Agricultural Engineering, 1986-1991; Advanced Agronomy Diploma in Viticulture and Oenology, 1993

Career Joined Catena Zapata in 1993, eventually becoming vineyard director. Started Manos Negras in 2010

Family Wife Emily is a French teacher; children Juana (18), Tobias (16), Olivia (15)

Hobbies Fishing, cycling, asados (barbecues)

Connected to terroir

Known as El Colorado for his red hair, the father-of-three was raised in Mendoza and, while not born into a winemaking family, had always felt a connection with the land. ‘My mum grew up on a trellis vineyard in San Juan, and my dad moved to Mendoza after qualifying as a surgeon. When I was six he bought a vineyard in Tupungato – a place to spend time with his own father – and a house from Bodega Filippini. Growing up I was surrounded by fincas and two wineries, and during school holidays there was little to do apart from pestering the farmhands in the countryside!’

Agricultural engineering was a natural degree choice; Sejanovich graduated as valedictorian. ‘When I started university, Argentina’s wine industry was on the verge of collapsing. I finished my degree controlling maturation during Chandon’s vintage, then, aged 21, studied at Montpellier, which wasn’t very common for Argentines at the time. Alumnus Roberto de la Mota [of Mendel Wines] sent a fax recommending me.

‘On my first day, the secretary looked at me and said, [referring to his hair] “I thought Argentines looked different!” That year (1992) was the last one that maestros such as plant physiology specialist François Champagnol taught before retiring. Our study trip was their farewell tour: at Château Margaux they opened an imperial from 1945. It was a fantastic experience and really opened my mind.’

Back to Argentina

Sejanovich returned to Mendoza in 1993, brimming with knowledge and a Montpellier diploma. ‘My fear was coming back and not being able to apply what I’d learnt. I was hired as a researcher at the National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA) but it wasn’t for me, so I continued looking for work. Everyone said Catena Zapata’s Pedro Marchevsky was the key innovator.’ Sejanovich’s timing was impeccable: winery owner Dr Nicolás Catena was keen to experiment, but needed experience to implement action.

‘I got stuck in, taking samples, undertaking microvinifications, coordinating picking and researching. I was sent to explore higher elevations, but the winery turned everything down until I presented Gualtallary at 1,400m. Vineyards didn’t exist at that altitude then and we were uncertain whether the grapes would even ripen.

‘Catena was starting to consider Malbec and researching it was really interesting: clonal selection, understanding zones, managing irrigation and vineyards. Big changes were going on in Argentinian viticulture between 1998 and 2000, with massive plantings in brand-new regions. It was challenging but I loved it. And, as Nicolás always aimed to produce the best wine, I learnt it’s good to have impossible objectives.’

Agrelo-based Catena Zapata is where Sejanovich met Chicago-born Mausbach, who worked in exports. ‘Our first meeting was about importing plants,’ Sejanovich recalls. ‘Once Jeff moved to Mendoza with his wife Verónica, I’d invite them round for asados. Plus, our kids are a similar age. When foreigners started visiting the bodega and wanted to meet the winemaker, we’d both receive them. Twenty-five years later, we only need a glance to know what the other is thinking.’

Eager for new challenges, Sejanovich and Mausbach left the bodega as vineyard and wine education directors, respectively, in 2010 and started Manos Negras. ‘The aim was to create latitude-differentiated wines sourced from Mendoza, Patagonia and the north. We bought, then remortgaged, an old-vine finca in Paraje Altamira. In the search for different things, we created different brands: by 2011 we’d also launched Bodega Teho and TintoNegro, and had started working in Salta.’

It sounds simple but that first year involved hard graft. Renting winery space put them last in the pecking order to use equipment, and, after buying land in Maipú, they could only afford to lay a cement floor for the first vintage. ‘It was challenging doing 60 microvinifications outdoors. Once it rained so hard we had to take shelter under harvest bins,’ he recalls.

New challenges

The landscape of Salta had always impressed the viticulturist, and it was the first terroir outside Mendoza that he and Mausbach tackled. ‘I used to go there, head in the clouds, and only get half my work done; I’m more focused these days! Meeting Fernando Saavedra of Estancia Los Cardones was fortuitous for us all, as he was looking for a winemaker and we were after a project in Calchaquíes; it’s in a remote southern part of the valley. I’ve always believed in the region: its wines show potential but often lack finesse.

‘The challenge is to make a Salta wine that’s elegant, easy to drink and different from traditional norms. Tigerstone Garnacha represents everything we met as a challenge: drinkable, fresh and elegant while also showcasing Calchaquíes.’ Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Torrontés also make up the Los Cardones stable.

Uspallata represents another winemaking extreme and, although Sejanovich first visited the vineyard here in 2010, the opportunity to get involved came about five years later. ‘I remember thinking it was crazy that they had planted there,’ says Sejanovich. ‘The landscape is fantastic and unique, but the cold climate means budburst takes place six weeks later than in Uco Valley. Uspallata is intense: that’s reflected aromatically and in the polyphenols, making the wines distinctive and delicious. I planted five Chardonnay vines last year, which produced lots of grapes. Another new challenge.’

Producing a Pinot Noir in addition to a traditional-method Pinot Noir sparkling, Sejanovich says of the heralded Uspallata Malbec 2017: ‘It’s expressive and reflects the place differently than it would in other parts of Mendoza. Viticultural techniques aren’t simply replicated – you have to adapt to each place; it takes time to get to know a vineyard and learn how the different sections produce – maybe three or four years.’

New heights

But some extremes just can’t be conquered, and Sejanovich reluctantly admits that going beyond 2,000m gets the better of him. Regardless, he takes the physical consequences on the chin in Quebrada de Humahuaca. ‘Huichaira is at 2,710m on a rocky mountain path and I go there knowing I’m going to get altitude sickness. I chew coca leaves to combat it, but that’s a problem when I taste grapes. My sister says I should carry my own personal oxygen tank, then my palate will stay intact.’

Landscape-wise, with its red and yellow outcrops Huichaira is similar to Uspallata, but it presents new challenges. ‘I imagined the Quebrada would be hot, like Salta, but it’s very cold, budburst is late and there’s a balance of aromas between floral and spice. Once again, I knocked on that door and asked myself: “Why not?” Despite being just 2ha, Huichaira isn’t homogenous; some parts have more clay or gravel, and it’s sandier close to the foothills. For the time being we’re making a Malbec- Cabernet Franc-Syrah field blend, but gradually we’re discovering aromatic differences across the vineyard. The other challenge is transporting the grapes down the mountain!’

It’s not just new projects that make him tick, however, and while he won’t admit to having a preference, there’s a fondness for the pair’s Vineyard 1955 in La Consulta, which produces an eponymous old-vine Malbec. He says: ‘In 2010, we thought all that area was Altamira, but soil studies proved otherwise. Those tiny soil and altitude differences are reflected in the wines’ personalities.’

Besides traversing Argentina, Sejanovich recently embarked on projects in Peru’s pisco heartland, the Ica Valley, and Cañete province. Back in Maipú, Manos Negras is undergoing expansion to include a barrel room and restaurant due to open in 2020. Plans are also in the pipeline to build a small winery in Las Compuertas, plus he’s making his first Riesling for a client.

‘All these challenges keep us young!’ he laughs. Plenty to keep both Sejanovich’s and Mausbach’s manos negras occupied.

Today’s southern hemisphere is full of exciting combinations of variety and location for the wine lover to enjoy.

Thirty years ago, that wasn’t true. I’m not going to list those combinations (you’ll each have your own favourites) but want to underline that it is so – and that, in being so, it means we have reached base camp for the exploration of southern hemisphere wine terroirs over the next several hundred years. Terroir wine is not the only sort of wine, but it’s the sort which provides more profound pleasure than any other. It’s born when an ideally adapted grape variety or set of varieties is planted in a distinguished site.

Scroll down for Andrew Jefford’s top 25 premium Argentinian Malbecs

My own favourite combination of those identified so far is Malbec grown in high- altitude sites in the Andes, principally – though not exclusively – in Argentina. Why? Three reasons. These wines’ singular drama is the first. Their dark, lustrous vivacity has a shocking beauty. They imitate nothing. The best constitute striking new landmarks in the world’s wine landscape.

Structure is the second. If southern hemisphere red wines share a failing, it’s that their fruit hasn’t yet been able to deliver the structural authority of the greatest red wines of Bordeaux, of Tuscany, of Piedmont, of the Rhône. This has nothing to do with oak, and everything to do with what is in the grape skins, how it’s expressed, and how it fuses with the fruit. Successful examples of Malbec from Mendoza and Salta are, for me, among the best-structured of all southern hemisphere reds, even when they don’t contain admixtures of Cabernet. Gutsiness and earthiness can be a precious part of the Malbec profile here. High-grown Andean Malbec skins are evidently special.

Purity – the key 21st-century wine-world desideratum – is the third attribute. Not every Malbec will set nostrils twitching, but the best truly do have a ravishing floral aromatic sweetness and lift: another hallmark of world- class reds. Those who love to chase ‘mineral’ flavours can do so here, along with a saline note. Above all, though, the fruit quality of the best of these wines – lyrical, singing, perfumed, allusive and multi-faceted – rewards in-depth scrutiny over the length of the bottle.

More to come

There are failings. Too many Argentinian reds of all sorts are bottled in a reduced state: a crime against Malbec (since its aromatic charm should be a compelling attraction), and never acceptable for any finished wine. Decanter readers know to double-decant; not so any innocent drinkers, who will be dismayed at first sniff. Lavish oak, too, is a crutch which great Malbec never needs, and wherever it’s palpable, my personal view is that the oak has been overdone – though I admit that there are drinkers who still relish the easy sweetness of ‘an oaky note’. It can be found anywhere, though. Let’s move on.

The final risk comes with this solar territory: too much raisiny sweetness from overripeness. It’s tempting to say that the move to ever-higher locations might resolve this, but things aren’t that simple: age of vines, soil structure and composition, viticulture, water relations and harvest decisions are all crucial. While the majority of our top wines in this selection do indeed grow on the roof of the wine world (like those from Calchaquí and from Gualtallary in Uco Valley), there are also some from older established zones close to the city of Mendoza itself (notably Luján de Cuyo).

Argentina’s leading wine creators clearly understand what lies at their fingertips, and are dreaming of doing better still. If you want to enjoy grand, authoritative, gastronomic red wine from distinguished southern hemisphere sites, follow their efforts.

Andrew Jefford is a contributing editor to Decanter and one of our three Decanter World Wine Awards Co-Chairs

See Andrew Jefford’s top 25 premium Argentinian Malbecs

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Phil Crozier, Paz Levinson and Patricio Tapia tasted 99 wines from the Uco Valley sub-regions of Altamira and Gualtallary, with 12 Outstanding and 37 Highly Recommended.

Originally published in the October 2017 issue of Decanter magazine

Entry Criteria: Producers and UK agents were invited to submit their latest-release reds from Altamira and Gualtallary in Argentina’s Uco Valley, in which 85% of the grapes must be sourced from a single sub-region.

The verdict

The rationale for grouping these two micro-regions of the Uco Valley together for this panel tasting was that both are producing some of Argentina’s most exciting Malbecs and other reds. That fact is confirmed by a fantastic set of results – no fewer than 12 wines rated Outstanding, and a further 37 Highly Recommended.

Both regions won their fair share of the accolades (with Gualtallary having the edge at Highly Recommended level), but in the post-tasting discussion our experts emphasised the differences between them.Altamira is a long-established wine region with older vines and a distinguished pedigree, while Gualtallary is an emerging region without a fully established identity. ‘More experimentation, less history,’ quipped Paz Levinson. ‘We found an “Altamira style” far more than we did a “Gualtallary style” – Altamira was definitely more consistent stylistically.’

Quick link See all tasting notes & scores from this panel tasting

Regional character

That said, the tasters were able to make some general observations about regional characters. Levinson described the wines of Gualtallary as having ‘wildness’ and being more herbal. ‘It’s not the fruit bomb, but more about bones, you know – about structure and texture.’

Phil Crozier agreed with the ‘wildness’ descriptor for the Gualtallary reds: ‘I get black fruit from here, and flowers mixed in with that – lavender, roses, violets. There’s a real delicacy, a wildness. Altamira is more red fruit, austerity, medicinal chalk, eucalyptus, menthol. The Altamira wines have a seriousness about them – they appeal to, for example, Burgundy lovers.’

For Patricio Tapia, the difference is about structure. ‘The Altamira wines are better for cellaring, probably because of the structure of the tannins,’ he observed. He found the Altamira style more austere, and the Gualtallary style generally ‘lighter, fresher and vibrant’, though he complained about some ‘soupy, flat wines’. It figures, he said: ‘There’s massive variation in styles because they’re still discovering themselves.’

One major drawback for wine lovers, Crozier pointed out, is that producers are not currently allowed to use the word Gualtallary on the front label, as the rights to use that name are privately owned. Hopefully that situation will change, but in the meantime some producers use ‘Gualta’ on the label, as an alternative.

‘It’s the biggest stumbling block for Gualtallary at the moment,’ added a frustrated Crozier.

Talk then turned to vintages. ‘The 2013s are drinking very nicely – it was a beautiful vintage,’ enthused Crozier. ‘And some of the 2014s were very good too; they’re beginning to come into their own. I was surprised at how good the 2015s are, but it was a disaster for Cabernet Sauvignon – don’t even go there,’ he warned.

In general, buyers who want a change from Malbec are better going to Altamira for Cabernet Sauvignon and Gualtallary for Cabernet Franc, felt Tapia. ‘Malbec works everywhere!’ he added.

All three tasters were keen to convey their genuine enthusiasm for these wines. ‘It was an amazing tasting – there were some absolutely staggeringly beautiful wines,’ said Crozier. And most are approachable now.

‘That’s the strength of Argentinian reds – especially now that the winemakers are managing the oak and tannins more skilfully,’ said Levinson. ‘You can drink them now with pleasure, or happily cellar them for a decade or more if you want to.’

The scores

99 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 12

Highly Recommended 37

Recommended 31

Commended 6

Fair 8

Poor 3

Faulty 2

See all 99 wines from this panel tasting

Gualtallary & Altamira

These high-altitude Uco Valley regions share similar topographies but their history of winemaking, and the reds themselves, are quite different, as Patricio Tapia reports…

Malbec and Argentina are inextricably linked. The country’s producers know that and have profited from it. But as Italian consultant Alberto Antonini – a key player in the evolution of Argentinian wine – observes: ‘The next step is to sell less Malbec and more Argentinian terroir.’

In this context, regionality begins to play a key role in how we understand Argentinian wines today. There are many regions making excellent wines (Malbec or not), but two garner the most attention for the quality and character they deliver. Both are in the heights of the Uco Valley, at the foot of the Andes: Gualtallary and Altamira, south of the city of Mendoza.

Altamira has a long tradition in wine, and some of its vineyards are more than a century old, while Gualtallary is a new area that was only planted in 1994 thanks to the Chandon winery and its sparkling wines.

In geographical terms, Gualtallary is located north of the Uco Valley, in the department of Tupungato, at an altitude of 1,200m to 1,550m, while Altamira is in the centre of the valley, in the department of Tunuyán, at a height ranging from 1,080m to 1,100m.

The geographical boundaries of Altamira were legally established in 2013 (revisited in 2017) and today it has its own IG (geographical indication), while Gualtallary is still in the process of legalising its borders.

Both share similar topographies: Altamira has alluvial soils that millions of years ago formed the bed of the Tunuyán river, and Gualtallary is on an alluvial cone – the old Las Tunas bed. The soils are rich in sand, gravel and mainly chalk, which imparts mineral notes as well as tense, tight textures in the wines, a detail that separates them from the soft, round tannins of other lower areas.

The character of Gualtallary wines versus Altamira’s is still to be clearly identified, mainly – as Eduardo del Popolo, winemaker at Susana Balbo Winery, says – because both areas are very disparate. But to generalise, del Popolo says the Gualtallary wines are more herbal and light, while Altamira’s are more austere and robust.

The dominant grape is Malbec, but Matías Michelini, owner of Passionate Wine, says Cabernet Franc has also produced very good results in Gualtallary, as well as Sauvignon Blanc. For Sebastián Zuccardi, of Bodega Zuccardi, Bonarda has many possibilities in Altamira.

These Uco Valley sub-regions already produce some of the best wines in Argentina but are still a work in progress.

Uco Valley: Know your vintages

2016 A cold year, giving fresh, light wines; great for those seeking finesse. One of the best vintages of the decade.

2015 Those who picked before the April rains got fresh wines with rich, aromatic, vivid character. Later heatwaves gave riper, voluptuous reds.

2014 A year of finesse and freshness. Low yields, but rich acidity and fruit flavours. The best will age for several years.

2013 Not much concentration, but rich in acidity and fruit notes.

2012 Frost cut yields by up to 40%. A year of moderate heat and very ripe fruit. Drink now.

2011 Concentration and strength, with intense, tannic wines.

2010 Refined and delicate reds. Time to broach but will continue to age well in bottle.

2009 Fat, velvety, ripe reds to drink now.

Gualtallary

Area 5,245ha

Area under vine 2,249ha

Main grapes planted Malbec 1,119ha, Chardonnay 335ha, Cabernet Sauvignon 270ha, Pinot Noir 177ha, Merlot 86ha, Sauvignon Blanc 70ha, Cabernet Franc 55ha

Altamira

Area 9,290ha

Area under vine 2,786ha

Main grapes planted Malbec 1,712ha, Cabernet Sauvignon 434ha, Chardonnay 169ha, Pinot Noir 120ha, Syrah 112ha, Sauvignon Blanc 45ha, Cabernet Franc 43ha

The judges

Phil Crozier

Crozier is wine director for the Gaucho restaurant group, responsible for the wine list, including its 200 Argentinian wines. He also runs the Gaucho-owned Malbec vineyard in Lulunta in Mendoza, which produces Viña Patricia. Crozier is also involved with the production of the Corte G range of wines.

Paz Levinson

Levinson is currently head sommelier at Virtus in Paris and works between France and Argentina as a consultant and educator. She was the first Argentinian to pass the Court of Master Sommeliers’ advanced sommelier certificate, and won the ASI and APAS Best Sommelier of the Americas in 2015.

Patricio Tapia

Tapia is Regional Chair for Argentina at the Decanter World Wine Awards. He is the South American wine critic for Wine & Spirits, and also writes the annual Descorchados bilingual wine guide to Argentinian, Chilean and Uruguayan wine, published in both Spanish and English.

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Twenty years ago, few people would have been able to envisage just how Malbec would evolve. The variety, which had been neglected for decades in its homeland, and only rarely used in red blends in other countries – such as Vega Sicilia in Spain and California’s Opus One – is today grown successfully not only in Argentina, but also in Chile, Australia, South Africa and the US. And in its native territory in Cahors, southwest France, Malbec wines are regaining the spotlight after spending centuries in the shadows.

Take a closer look, and this phenomenon could have multiple explanations. On the one hand, its expansion can be explained from a commercial point of view: Argentinian Malbec has enjoyed sustained success during the last decade, embraced by wine lovers across the globe and at different price levels, with the grape increasingly being positioned at the higher end. Meanwhile, from a winemaking perspective, Malbec has successfully adapted to different climates and soils.

Scroll down for Iglesias’ top 15 Malbecs from Argentina and Chile

It is no news that the wineries primarily responsible for this phenomenon are those in Argentina. And we can find many varied expressions of Malbec across its wine-growing regions. But Chile is also emerging as an exciting source of Malbec – the grape has strong roots in the country and has now become the focus of several producers. It can only be positive for consumers that the market offers a growing range of styles and places of origin for this variety, once on the brink of extinction.

Argentinian extremes

Malbec’s chief producing country has 40,250ha (hectares) dedicated to the flagship variety, close to 90% up on what was planted only a decade ago. And when it seemed that there was nothing new under the sun, a handful of small and extreme vineyards started producing wines that are breaking new ground for this icon of the Argentinian wine industry. And, admittedly, to a model that is being closely followed by all the players in the world of Malbec.

You could say that the new styles of Malbec in Argentina have been pioneered in the cold mountain vineyards of Mendoza and San Juan. Over the last few years, both provinces have increased their vineyard area, especially with plantings located at 1,000m above sea level and higher, consequently establishing a new baseline for growing vines above even 2,000m.

In the past, very few people would have imagined these areas to be viable for wine- growing. At this greater altitude, the temperature drops, the ripening cycle slows, and the weather risks increase – a challenge that some oenologists are willing to meet head-on in order to produce lighter and more refreshing styles of Malbec. Whenever he is asked why he chooses to work in such extreme conditions, Alejandro Sejanovich explains: ‘These vineyards help us rethink viticultural and winemaking methods, and we can then apply that knowledge in other areas. It is about ongoing learning.’ Let’s not forget, too, that these are regions with virgin soils, which also contributes new knowledge and experience.

Volume-wise, the output of these marginal regions is tiny when compared to that of more traditional areas, but each one of them opens a door to a new sensory dimension.

Sejanovich, the creator of Manos Negras, a project exploring different regional styles, has recently unveiled the first wines produced with grapes from the vineyard he developed in Uspallata in 2009, a new winemaking region in Mendoza located 2,000m above sea level. ‘In these extreme and cold conditions, on clay and bedrock soils, Malbec develops an exotic character, typical of high-altitude wines, but with spiced notes, a delicate texture, and a marked freshness,’ says the winemaker about the Estancia Uspallata Malbec 2015.

Sebastián Zuccardi is similarly animated about his new vineyard in Uco Valley, 1,400m above sea level. ‘When we planted here in San Pablo, we got to a point where we thought we had made a mistake,’ Zuccardi explains. ‘It is very cold, very close to the Andes and has a high average rainfall. For instance, we did not need any irrigation in 2015.’ But, he says: ‘Now we’re so excited to work with those grapes because they allow us to produce a Malbec like no other.’ The wine he refers to is the Polígonos del Valle de Uco San Pablo 2015, an austere and refreshing Malbec with only 13% alcohol – rare for an Argentinian red.

Mendoza is not the only region adding new profiles to the Malbec variety. In San Juan, the Pedernal Valley area is also becoming a pioneer. With vineyards established in 2008 on flint soils at 1,300m to 1,600m above sea level, this area is protected by hills and high mountain fronts in the middle of the precordillera, which provides a moderate temperature and good light intensity. ‘This terroir allows us to produce an exotic Malbec, with a lively feeling in the mouth and complex aromas,’ explains José Morales, winemaker at Pyros Wines, and the person in charge of one of the projects in the region.

Chilean diversity

Across the Andes, Chile has 2,300ha of Malbec, in third position as a producer of this grape, behind France, which features an area, chiefly in Cahors, of a little over 4,000ha.

Chile’s Malbec vineyards are concentrated mainly in the Central Valley, but can also be found in Limarí and Elqui, while Bío Bío boasts a handful of old pre-phylloxera vineyards that seem to resist the passing of time. This distribution exposes Malbec to varied soils, climates and heights, resulting in wines different from those produced in Argentina, the world’s largest producer of the grape.

However, despite the differences in volume and area, Chile already has close to 50 labels of this variety that are now becoming available in wine stores worldwide.

At this point, you may wonder why these wines have such a low profile when Chile possesses such vine-growing wealth. Aurelio Montes expresses it very clearly: ‘In Chile we have been focused on other varieties for years – Cabernet Sauvignon in particular – and so we were not able to realise sooner the huge potential of Malbec.’

There is also a commercial reason: ‘Fifteen years ago, Malbec had no history in the markets,’ Montes continues. ‘These wines were rustic at best, until Argentina dressed them in a tuxedo. From then on, it was not easy to offer a Chilean Malbec when, to wine lovers worldwide, Malbec was known as an Argentinian wine.’

However, Malbec found a way to get attention on its own, recalls Sven Bruchfeld, winemaker at Polkura. ‘In our case, we used to produce Malbec just so we could blend it with our Syrah, only about 5%, and we sold the surplus. But then in 2008, we started paying more attention to our Malbec and realised it was too good to sell, so we started bottling it.’

Faced with the need to innovate and experiment, several winemakers joined this movement to vindicate the Malbec variety, and change the course of history.

While 90% of the Malbec vineyards in Chile are located in the Central Valley, it is important to understand that this does not imply a homogenous style of wines. As Ricardo Grellet, president of the National Association of Sommeliers of Chile explains: ‘What is unique about the Chilean geography is that you can find very different plots of land within all the valleys, ensuring diversity even within the same variety. Today, the new vineyards are designed with the characteristics of each of these terroirs in mind.’ Following this premise, it’s possible to find several different expressions in a single valley.

In more technical terms, Pedro Parra, a renowned expert on soils and terroir studies, explains that ‘there are two types of Malbec in the world: the ones grown in geological soils (very old rock soils), and the ones grown in alluvial soils or colluvium’ (ie, newer soils).

‘In Chile,’ he says, ‘we find both expressions. The younger soils are in the Central Valley, while the older, granitic soils are located to the south.’ According to Parra, these soils produce two different profiles. The wines from the alluvial soils have a moderate acidity, are fruity and full-bodied, while wines from the older soils are more austere in character, have a higher acidity and a lower pH.

In Chile’s Colchagua Valley, Malbec has a long history. The Viu Manent winery, Malbec experts since 1993 when they bottled Chile’s first 100% varietal version, has pre-phylloxera vines that enabled it to work in new vineyards and expand its own plantings to 80ha. As a result it produces six different versions of Malbec with grapes from San Carlos and Peralillo. Also well-regarded are other wines in which Malbec forms a key component, grown in Apalta, Cachapoal, Lolol, Marchigüe, Rapel, Requínoa and Santa Cruz, in vineyards propagated through clonal selections or others through massal selection from older vines.

Sergio Avendaño of Trabun Wines says: ‘Malbec proved to be a versatile variety, which expresses the characteristics of its location. That convinced us to start growing it in 2010 in Requínoa, with results that allowed us to convey the essence of that region.’

Old-vine expressions

Maule also has a long-standing tradition with this variety. It’s not difficult to find 50-year-old vines, like the ones Matías Michelini uses to make MalMau, a varietal Malbec he produces for House of Morandé. ‘What sets Maule apart from other regions is that the rainfall regime allows for dry farming of the vines, and that gives additional authenticity to the place. This results in wines that seem mature, but are vertical and have a light mouthfeel.’

Outside the Central Valley, there are also extreme Malbec wines, like the ones from the Elqui Valley and the Limarí Valley, where vines are grown at more than 1,600m above sea level in very cold mountain areas featuring bedrock and granite soils, which produce wines with impressive tension and complex aromas. Among the producers in this region are Tabalí, with its Roca Madre Malbec, and Viñedos de Alcohuaz.

Meanwhile, in the south, the Malbec bush vines in Bío Bío are the oldest of this variety in Chile, resisting the passing of time and grown on slopes in a dry habitat, with no irrigation. This results in austere wines ‘very similar to the European Malbec’, explains Leo Erazo, winemaker at Altos Las Hormigas, which on the other side of the Andes runs Rogue Vine, where it makes Macho Anciano – a very singular and restrained Malbec. In the same area, Pedro Parra and his colleagues at Clos des Fous offer an expression with a little more body and volume, but without straying from the Bío Bío profile, with their Tocao, which is 80% Malbec and 20% Carignan.

It is worth mentioning that the Chilean Malbec does not share so many similarities with that of Argentina, as regards style and expression. Therefore, Chilean Malbecs become an interesting alternative for those who have fallen under the spell of this variety, which always guarantees a fruity intensity and a juicy mouthfeel. ‘In Chile, Malbec wines are austere, featuring black fruit and spiced aromas, as opposed to red fruit, and have a rather salty mouthfeel. It is a colder version,’ explains Leo Erazo.

In turn, Marcelo Pino, Chile’s Best Sommelier, says: ‘While Chilean Malbec is still little-known in our country, the truth is that Chilean consumers are becoming increasingly aware of it, and the number of vineyards that produce and market it is growing.’

He ends by adding: ‘This is a great time to develop this variety, which offers a style and character of its own, with good virtues and outstanding qualities.’

A certified sommelier working across Latin America, Alejandro Iglesias is also a widely published wine writer and educator

See Iglesias’ top 15 Malbecs from Argentina and Chile

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It is sometime in the mid-1990s and Alejandro Vigil, today in charge of the Catena Zapata wines, has problems with the dust that seeps through the floor of his old Renault 12. In fact, while touring Malbec vineyards in the Uco Valley, he must, from time to time, stick his head out of the window so that the dust of those narrow, rustic dirt roads does not leak into his lungs.

Scroll down for Patricio Tapia’s top 12 wines from Monasterio and the nearby Gualtallary area

One of those roads takes him to a remote place, a sort of small, inhospitable corner in the middle of the mountain, in the now very fashionable area of Gualtallary.

‘I remember going up a kind of dry river, which is currently La Vencedora street, and there was not much there. Just a walnut plantation, another one of peaches and that vineyard, on the right, going up by the dry river.’ That vineyard was Adrianna, the highest plantation in Mendoza at the time, and today the main source of the best wines of Catena, both whites and reds.

At the time, Nicolás Catena and his team were looking for a place from which to obtain more elegant wines than those produced in the traditional areas of Mendoza, generally sunny and warm places such as Lunlunta or Agrelo. Those places deliver generous, fruity wines, delicious in their exuberance, but perhaps without the nerve or tension Catena was looking for.

The Catena team had a hunch that up in the mountains, with the influence of the cool Andean breezes, at about 1,400m high, they might find that elegance. And they did, with Malbec. In 2004, they bottled their Adrianna single-vineyard wine. ‘We started studying the soils of the place in the early 2000s and realised that they were incredibly diverse. That first bottling, in 2004, came from four different soil types [in the Adrianna vineyard] that, together, seemed to give us the best wine.’ So explains Vigil, who became Catena’s head winemaker in 2002.

It soon dawned on Vigil that soil diversity had a profound, positive impact on Malbec: ‘a conclusion that, back then, was contradictory to the homogeneity we had all been searching for: same clone, same soil, same wine.’ And if the single-vineyard Adrianna was a very important step in that quest to go beyond the grape to reflect the place, as of 2013 the matter became even more specific.

Cementing a reputation

With the 2013 harvest, Vigil and his team decided to go one step further than the concept of s ingle vineyard, drilling down to individual plots within the vineyard. Instead of a single Adrianna bottling, they decided to bottle three wines according to the type of soil in which their vines had been planted. Of that trio, for me the most complex and delicious is Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae, a Malbec that comes from a 1.4ha plot containing Adrianna’s most calcareous soils.

In its 2015 incarnation, Mundus is an arrow of acidity, of energetic tones of red fruits and of a texture that resembles chalk, a texture with claws. If you thought that Malbec was soft and round, you must try this one to realise that such generosity is but one facet of Malbec’s personality.

‘For me, soils rich in chalk like Mundus give wines that are built not only from their acidity, but also from that texture that is almost rough, but does not become annoying,’ Vigil enthuses. ‘They are wines of thirst, which invite you to drink, but at the same time they are sufficiently deep and complex to capture your attention.’

Known locally as ‘Indian cement’, the soil of Mundus Bacillus is a mixture of sands, gravel, clay and chalk, but compacted, a true cement wall that with water becomes sufficiently permeable for the roots to penetrate it. It is not a common soil type, either in the Uco Valley, or in Gualtallary, but it is found in this area that Vigil toured for the first time in his Renault 12.

The area is known among locals as Monasterio (‘monastery’), named for the monks of Cristo Orante who settled here in the mid-1990s. ‘These soils are located at the foot of the Sierra del Jaboncillo, which was formed around two and a half million years ago,’ says geologist Guillermo Corona, who has been studying the area for an upcoming book on Uco’s wine and geography.

For Corona, that Indian cement is the result of the erosion of the rivers, with material dragged down from the highest areas.

‘Higher up in the mountains, the chalk is pure, but lower down, in areas like the Adrianna vineyard, at the foot of the mountain range, is a compact mixture of chalk, stones and sand,’ Corona adds.

Distinctive character

It is this specific soil type that caught Vigil’s attention when he began working in the Adrianna vineyard – and it has also seduced other producers in Mendoza, Bodega Zuccardi among them.

‘We have been studying the area since we started buying grapes from there in 2013,’ says Sebastián Zuccardi, third generation of the family and today in charge of its wines. ‘And what we have learned is that not all Gualtallary is the same – it is very heterogeneous, and the same applies for Monasterio. The part that interests us is the cemento indio.’

It has caught their attention because of the distinctive character of the grapes that come from that soil type, according to Zuccardi. ‘I think it delivers one of the most special wines in Mendoza. The texture is hard and one must be careful with tannins. The key is to extract them carefully because they can be very rustic. In aromas, it has a lot of Gualtallary – a lot of those typical aromas of thyme, of herbs. But you must be careful, because it’s easy to pass from fresh, herbal aromas to notes of overripe fruits [if you harvest too late].’

The enthusiasm for the area has led Zuccardi to produce two of its most important wines with the grapes it buys in the area: Aluvional Gualtallary and Polígonos Gualtallary – two linear, refreshing Malbecs, tense in texture, and full of mineral tones and red fruits. These Malbecs are among the most delicious being produced in Argentina today. In addition, Zuccardi has bought almost 90ha in the area, with 30ha planted so far, 10ha of which will go into production with the 2019 harvest.

Of the soil

On a smaller scale, but equally specific in terms of soil search, the PerSe winery has also opted for that Indian cement. PerSe is the project of two very important characters on the Argentinian wine scene. One is David Bonomi, current winemaker of Norton, and the other is Edgardo Del Pópolo, general manager of Susana Balbo Wines. Both have a long history of making wines in Mendoza, and in 2012 they decided to create PerSe, a project that produces around 5,000 bottles a year and focuses on Gualtallary.

During the first four vintages, the wines were made with grapes purchased from third parties, but in 2013 they found a special site in the Monasterio area – since the 2016 vintage, the core of their red wine production comes from there. ‘We have planted 1.5ha of vineyards. Due to the diversity of soils, we have divided the vineyard into four sectors,’ says Del Pópolo as we walk through one of those sectors, a small corner rich in white stones and with almost no soil in sight. The view from here is captivating – the summit of the Andes, very close, cutting the horizon with its pointed peaks. A gentle breeze wafts down from the arid and parched Andean foothills. From that very particular piece of land comes Uni del Bonnesant, a Malbec growing in a highly calcareous soil whose structure corresponds perfectly to that Indian cement.

The 312 Malbec vines there are planted at high density, and the soil is poor and stony. The first harvest of Uni was in 2016, a cold year in Uco that seems to have underlined the fresh and at the same time severe, tense character of those soils. ‘More than fruit or herbs, this type of soil gives us earthy, mineral notes. You can sense the chalk not only in the texture, but in the aromas,’ says Del Pópolo.

PerSe vineyard has been planted in partnership with the monks of the monastery, who had already ventured into the world of viticulture and oenology with a small neighbouring vineyard featuring heavier and less calcareous soils. Only found in the souvenir shop of the monastery, this Malbec has fresh and vivid notes of red fruits, along with the classic herbal aromas of Gualtallary Malbec. Uni del Bonnesant, on the other hand, is a more austere wine, less fruity and more concentrated in the flavours of stone and lime.

Exciting future

Catena, Zuccardi and PerSe are just a few of the projects that are taking advantage of this particular type of soil in this corner of the Uco Valley. To them we must add other wineries that have also arrived in the area or in nearby places, equally captivated by the character that their wines offer. Among them, Benegas, Domaine Nico, Lagarde/Pescarmona, Michelini i Mufatto, Michelini Wines, Susana Balbo, Viñalba and Vistalba. Some of them are experimenting with purchased grapes, while others have planted their own vineyards.

Although the first vineyards of Monasterio were planted more than 20 years ago, the feeling is that there is still everything to discover. In fact, Gualtallary as an appellation does not exist. There is a project to transform it into a GI – that is, a geographical indication within the Uco Valley – but that is still being processed. Within that new GI, Monasterio is one of the areas being considered for designation but, according to the producers who are working with local grapes, even that small area will have to be sub-divided due to its heterogeneity.

At the moment, what is known is that the diversity of Uco is summarised there, not only in its soils but also in the grapes. Malbec is the main player, but there is also very good Cabernet Franc from the hands of Bodega Aleanna; Pinot Noir with a deep minerality like those made by Domaine Nico, a bit further up in the mountains; or Catena’s White Stones and White Bones, two Chardonnays that rank among the best whites produced today in South America.

In the future – who knows when – we could see Monasterio being divided further according to its soil, and perhaps also by its altitude. However, based on these early results, the wines are undoubtedly already showing great quality. Above all, they offer a very powerful personality that goes far beyond varietal character.

Having covered the wines of Argentina for more than two decades, this is the first time that I have encountered such a distinctive terroir – a group of very specific vineyards that should be first on any list of Argentinian grands crus.

Uco Valley: in search of specificity

What until two decades ago was nothing more than a desert at the foot of the Andes, very high in the mountains, and with vineyards planted only in some areas where water and the absence of frost allowed it, today has become the object of desire of most Mendozan producers. This interest has manifested itself in an expanding area of vineyards (from almost 18,000ha in 2006 to more than 28,000ha in 2018), but also in a genuine curiosity to see the differences that this wide stripe of territory offers.

Geographical indications (GIs) began to be applied in Argentinian wine towards the end of the 1990s. In the Uco Valley, the first was the most generic, GI Valle de Uco, established in 2002 and respecting the political borders of the region. However, as producers have have got to know the valley in more depth, the subsequent GIs have not only been more specific but are supported by deep studies of climates, topography and soils.

Today in Uco there are seven specific GIs: Paraje Altamira, Los Chacayes, Tupungato, Tunuyán, San Carlos, Eugenio Bustos and La Consulta. At the time of writing, a GI for San Pablo was due to be approved. In the case of Gualtallary, the next to be approved by the government, it already has a study of soils, climates, topography and mesoclimates, as well as a sub-division into five different sub-groups that can themselves be GI in the future: one of them is Monasterio.

Patricio Tapia is author of the annual Descorchados guide to the wines of South America, and a regular Decanter contributor

See Patricio Tapia’s top 12 wines from Monasterio and the nearby Gualtallary area

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Nicolas Catena’s ultimate goal has always been ‘to make Argentine wine stand amongst the best in the world.’

His desire is unequivocally shared by his passionate daughter Laura, who boldly stated at a recent tasting at Claridges in London, ‘I want every collector in the world to have Nicolas Catena Zapata in their cellar.’

Laura was speaking at the UK launch of the latest vintages of Catena’s flagship wines, Nicolas Catena Zapata and Adrianna Mundus Bacillus Terrae. The tasting also featured several older vintages of both cuvées.

Nicolas Catena Zapata

Inspired by the progression of Napa in the 1980s, Nicolas Catena wanted to showcase the potential of Argentine Cabernet Sauvignon.

This led to the creation of the eponymous cuvée, Nicolas Catena Zapata in 1997 – a 97% Cabernet and 3% Malbec blend that redefined premium Argentine wine when it won a series of blind tastings against other prestigious cuvées from around the world in 2001.

As Laura explained, ‘My father had more confidence in Cabernet than Malbec at that point. As we understood Malbec more, we fell in love and started to put more into the blend.’ Recent vintages are generally around 75-80% Cabernet with the balance being made up by Malbec.

Pioneers

This deeper understanding of Malbec was largely derived from Catena’s pioneering work in planting the variety at altitude in Gualtallary. The decision to plant the Adrianna vineyard at 1,450m in 1992 was ridiculed by many who thought Malbec would never ripen at such an altitude. To say his decision has been vindicated would be an understatement, with Gualtallary now considered the mecca for Malbec.

Mundus Bacillus Terrae

Within the Adrianna vineyard lies a 1.4ha parcel which is particularly rich in rhizobacteria, a micro-organism said to help vine roots withstand stress and aid nutrient absorption. This parcel produces the Mundus Bacillus Terrae, one of the worlds finest single-vineyard Malbecs.

Longevity

What was very clear from this tasting was the longevity of these top cuvées. The 2005 Nicolas Catena Zapata was the most evolved of the wines on show, yet it’s still very much in its infancy and at the beginning of its drinking window.

Laura remarked, ‘The best wines in the world should be able to age, and we like to think that these wines show this’.

Last year, Catena took the decision to go for broader distribution of these top wines, and listed them on La Place de Bordeaux in a bid to increase the audience of global collectors. On the strength of this tasting, these two cuvées certainly stand alongside the finest wines in the world, and belong in any cellar.

A taste of Catena’s flagship wines:

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Follow the development of one of the wine world’s most extreme territories, as Patricio Tapia picks his favourite bottles from Argentina’s rugged far north...

It looks like the moon. A rocky surface, intersected by mountains of sharp peaks and lands of all shades of grey. There is almost no life here, beyond whatever manages to grow next to the rivers that wend their way down the mountains.

Although a desert region, like Mendoza, the Calchaquí Valleys in Argentina’s far northwest are a world of their own, a land with 300 days of sun, higher than 2,000m, with condors soaring up above – huge birds with a three-metre wingspan, the colossi of the Andes, observing from great height some of the most extreme vineyards in the world.

Scroll down for Tapia’s top Calchaquí Valley reds

Under these conditions, the wines produced in this area – comprising the provinces of Salta, Catamarca and Tucumán, some 1,200km north of Mendoza – are intense in their flavours and also often extremely high in alcohol.Since 1988, when consultant Michel Rolland arrived in Salta, the prevailing style has been one of opulent wines, rich in maturity. Nothing strange about that, in an area where it rains very rarely and where the sun’s radiation is intense and all-enveloping.

The harvest can be quietly anticipated until the grapes reach a generous maturity – there is nothing to stop them from accumulating sugar.

Little by little, however, other voices have appeared, calling for wines of a less unctuous and fresher character. And although they still number very few, it is a trend that’s slowly increasing.

Vital in this change have been moves to bring the harvests forward, protect grape clusters from the sun, water the vineyards in the summer and to use little or no wood at all in vinification.In terms of grapes, there are around 3,300ha planted with vineyards.

Of these, the largest part is Malbec (1,300ha) followed by Torrontés (970ha), a white grape that here produces floral wines of super-intense aromas and creamy textures. Cabernet Sauvignon follows, with about 500ha, while other grapes such as Bonarda, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Tannat are rare.

For its part, while the star-turn Malbec always offers sweet, soft tannins, in the Calchaquí Valleys this is enhanced, showing a creaminess that’s not only tempting, but also very commercial.

The Cabernet Sauvignon, meanwhile, tends to have a marked herbal accent, along with powerful and firm tannins, sometimes close to rusticity. So many producers want to provide harder bones for their Malbec, choosing to add some Cabernet.

The few examples of tannic grapes such as Tannat or Petit Verdot seem to behave very well in the high extremes of the north, offering freshness allied to a structure firm enough to sustain this fruit maturity.

More generous and intense than the Argentinian reds to which we are accustomed, the wines of the north offer a warm and generous style, ideal to enjoy during the winter days that are coming before long.

Patricio’s top Calchaquí Valley red wines:

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After eight months of negotiation, O Fournier winery in Argentina has been sold to the Agostino family for an undisclosed amount.

O Fournier sale: Uco Valley winery changes hands

The distinctive O Fournier winery in Mendoza’s Uco Valley was the brainchild of former-banker José Manuel Ortega who also owns wineries in Chile and Spain.

Ortega purchased 263 hectares in the early 2000s and reportedly invested over €20 million on the state-of-the-art winery and vineyards to produce labels including Alpha Crux, B Crux and Urban Uco.

The vineyards and winery, with a capacity of 1.2 million litres, were purchased by the Agostino family in early March 2018 following a long period of negotiation. The deal will almost double the family’s total vineyard property.

The Argentine-Canadian family of four brothers – Vincenzo, Rosalía, Sebastian and Miguel Agostino – have been producing wine in Mendoza since 2005 in their Maipu winery, Finca Agostino.

See also: Decanter’s travel guide for Uco Valley

Finca Agostino (which has a 3 million litre capacity) is adjacent to the four brothers’ 205-hectare vineyard estate in Barrancas.

The family also owns 50 hectares of vineyards in La Consulta, in addition to the newly acquired estate.

O Fournier’s long-serving winemaker José Spisso will continue to manage the O Fournier vineyards and wine production for the new owners, and the Wine Partners property investment scheme (launched by O Fournier in 2012) is set to continue.

The purchase did not include O Fournier’s estates in Maule, Chile, or in Ribera del Duero, Spain.

Move over Malbec – Cabernet Sauvignon is making a name for itself in Argentina. Alistair Cooper MW selects 18 bottles that reveal the grape’s considerable potential...

In boxing parlance, Malbec is the undisputed heavyweight champion of Argentina, a title it has held for many years. Its closest contenders are Cabernets Franc and Sauvignon.

Despite Bonarda’s significant plantings, it can’t compete in the same division. So what kind of shape is Argentinian Cabernet Sauvignon in at the moment, and just how well can it perform?The flavour profile of Cabernet Sauvignon on the eastern side of the Andes is quite distinct to that of neighbouring Chile, where deep cassis, spice-laden, often minty styles are found.

In Argentina, with its continental climate, Cabernet tends to be rounder, softer and more velvety, often with a hit of ripe red fruit and morello cherry.When they are done well, the wines can be deeply aromatic and sensual, almost Napa-esque, as opposed to the firmer styles of Bordeaux or Coonawarra.

One of the main issues is that Cabernet in Argentina has not always been given the respect and care it requires. It’s hard not to form the impression that a number of producers in Argentina may have taken their eye off the Cabernet ball in the past.

All too often we saw overripe, jammy wines given heavy oak treatment (often new) resulting in wines lacking both structure and freshness and feeling overtly woody.

The key here is harvest date – overripe wines will always accentuate oak influence and flavours. Grapes that are harvested a little earlier (or at the correct time) can absorb and handle oak better, and the resulting wines will have a better frame and structure. Therefore, especially in riper vintages, producers must adapt oaking regimes – perhaps using older oak, as well as different vessels.

Fortunately, there is a growing band of winemakers who are beginning to focus on Cabernet, and are doing exactly this – using less new oak, a higher percentage of second and third-use barrels, as well as old foudres and concrete eggs. Some producers are harvesting Cabernet up to a month earlier than they were only five or six years ago.

Slowly these wines are trickling onto the market and some are of excellent quality. Another significant development is that of sub-regional diversity and the emergence of more terroir-driven wines.

Historically the lower level zones to the south of Mendoza were the best Cabernet lands. They continue to produce some excellent examples, especially the stony, loamy gravel soils of Perdriel, and the alluvial sandy-loam of Agrelo.

Arguably however, it is the higher altitude areas of the Uco Valley that are stealing the show. Gualtallary and Altamira (along with Vista Flores) are producing wines that combine power and elegance with minerality and tense, finely chiselled tannins.

There is a slow but sure movement towards more elegant examples of single-varietal Cabernet. Already some of the country’s greatest wines are blends featuring Cabernet and Malbec, the two varieties working in harmony with impressive results. So it’s fair to say that, despite being the underdog, Cabernet deserves its turn in the ring with the mighty Malbec.

Alistair’s top 18 Argentinian Cabernets:

Related content:

• 12 exciting Argentinian wines under £25

• Fine wines to know from Chile and Argentina

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Reflective of its history and modern approach, Clos de Chacras’ wine estates respect the past and celebrate the future of Mendoza’s wine regions and new terroirs...

Clos de Chacras: Bridging Mendoza’s past with the future

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Nestled in the heart of Chacras de Coria, a historic and leafy neighbourhood of Mendoza, Clos de Chacras is a boutique family winery with a long history although its modern reincarnation only took form in 2004.

A long family line in winemaking

The Gargantini family is a legendary wine dynasty of Argentina and were one of the largest producers of the 20th century. They owned three wineries that were spearheaded by Don Bautista Gargantini who in 1910 began growing a family wine business.

However, during the hardship of years that followed, the wineries were abandoned and became derelict until 1987 when one of Don Bautista’s grandchildren – Silvia Gargantini – took up her family’s patrimony. With her husband Alejandro Genoud they lovingly restored the historic 1921 winery in Chacras de Coria, installing the latest technology and modern amenities.

Clos de Chacras represents a marriage of two influential wine families in Argentina: the Gargantini family with their long history in Argentine wine, and the Genoud family. Alejandro Genoud is a descendant of the great engineer Cipolletti who was partly responsible for bringing water to the region of Mendoza. The Cipolletti dam collects water from the Andes mountains to irrigate and bring to life the desert land.

Old vines and pioneering new regions

Reflective of its history and modern approach, Clos de Chacras’ wine estates respect the past and celebrate the future of Mendoza’s wine regions. One of the treasured inheritances of the family winery are vineyards filled with 80 year old vines of Malbec in Chacras de Coria, Luján de Cuyo. These vines provide depth and structure to the red wines.

The family have also invested in vineyards in the new wine region of Gualtallary in the Uco Valley. This is one of the most celebrated emerging wine regions of the New World, pioneered very recently in the 21st century. The poor soils, rich in calcium carbonate, and high altitude conditions offer wines of deep colour and concentration with bright acidity. These Gualtallary wines add a new dimension to the traditional portfolio.

A family of wines

Producing just 140,000 bottles each year, Clos de Chacras’ focus is on a boutique production of premium wines. The Cavas de Crianza line is an accessible entry point for wine lovers to discover the character of single varietal expressions from Mendoza through Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay as well as a more complex red blend and light, refreshing Malbec rosé.

Eredità offers a line of wines to enjoy on special occasions – rich and concentrated wines that show the great potential of Mendoza’s old vines in Chacras and new vines in Gualtallary. Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay symbolise the most important varieties for the winery, and a red blend offers a synthesis of these.

Gran Estirpe is the icon line of Clos de Chacras delivering the upmost expression of regional identity and a homage to the family’s proud heritage in wine, but also their focus on the future. Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and a red blend promise to make it an occasion to remember.

www.closdechacras.com.ar

This content has been provided by Clos de Chacras, as part of a sponsored campaign on Decanter.com with Wines of Argentina.

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Clop Wines vision is to create small lots of high-quality wines thoughtfully tended throughout the winemaking process. The number one priority was to find the best site for the production of premium wines of great depth and unique personality.

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Clop Wines; Exceptional terroir personality from Agrelo and Uco Valley

Clop Wines owns vineyards in Agrelo and Los Álamos, two of the most recognized regions in Mendoza, Argentina for their climate, altitude, soil, water and quality of grapes.

Apart from their own production, the winery purchases grapes from local producers located in Altamira and Agua Amarga, Valle de Uco, terroir that is well-known for its grapes’ expressiveness.

We are currently seeking for new partners mainly in the USA, the UK, Russia, Brazil and China to expand our sales for a long term relationship. Therefore, we are planning a construction of a new winery in Agrelo to produce exclusive wines with unique character from Uco Valley and Agrelo.

Clop Wines lines

Varietals

The soil and climate of the regions allow making these young, fresh and fruity wines. Elaborated to distinguish the unique characteristics of each grape variety.

Reserve

Made from carefully selected grapes and aged in oak barrels to give a delicate wood component and emphasis on fruit expression.

Blend of terroirs

Represents Clop Wines top expression.This wine is made from Malbec (Agua Amarga), Cabernet Sauvignon (Lunlunta) and Cabernet Franc (Paraje Altamira) grapes.

This content was provided by Clop Wines, as part of a sponsored campaign on Decanter.com with Wines of Argentina.

More from Wines of Argentina:

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Part of the LVMH wine group, Terrazas de los Andes pushes winemaking to dizzying heights in the Argentinean Andes…

Founded in 1999, Terrazas de los Andes is a winery in the Lujan de Cuyó region of Mendoza’s Uco Valley, in the foothills of the Argentinean Andes. It’s owned by the French corporation LVMH, who claim to bring their ‘French know-how’ to the Argentinean terroir.

The name translates to ‘Terraces of the Andes’, and accordingly its nine terraced plateau vineyards sit at high mountain altitudes varying between 980-1800 metres above sea level. Cumulatively they cover 525 hectares, the size of Lower Manhattan.

View all of Decanter’s Terrazas de los Andes tasting notes

The conditions vary depending on altitude, and the winemakers attempt to fit the grape variety’s optimum conditions to the correct climate. Torrontés vines are planted a the highest altitude, followed by Malbec. Other varieties include Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Petit Manseng.

The terroir of Lujan de Cuyó is typified by low rainfall, rocky soils and vast differences between day/night temperatures, with plenty of sun exposure followed by cool desert-like nights low rainfall and rocky soils.

Terrazas de los Andes currently produce hand-harvested Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Torrontés wines. As well as two single-vineyard Malbecs and two ‘Parcel’ Malbecs from their oldest, highest vineyards (planted in 1929 and 1945 respectively).

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Steven Spurrier tastes the latest wines from Susana Balbo, the forward looking winemaker who has been at the forefront of the Argentinian wine scene for over 30 years...

Scroll down to see Steven’s tasting notes

Susana Balbo was Argentina’s first female enologist after graduating with honours from the Don Bosco University in Mendoza in 1981. Her first job took her north to Salta, where her first vintage of premium Torrontes attracted significant attention.

Innovation

Innovation being her driving force, she has experimented with barrel volumes from 160 to 6,500 litres, tested wild versus cultured yeasts, and has finally settled on concrete eggs for fermentation. The egg’s porous concrete breathes like oak yet allows the wine to develop as if it were made in stainless steel, resulting in a pure expression of fruit with a richer, more complex mouthfeel.

• Concrete eggs in the winery – ask Decanter

Next generation

As a leader of the industry, she has been elected three times as President of Wines of Argentina. In 2011 and 2012 her son José and her daughter Ana joined her to help build Susana Balbo Wines to where it is today and beyond.

That Susana and her children continually seek uncharted territory (both geographically and technically) was supremely evident from a recent tasting of a dozen wines at 67 Pall Mall, five of which are selected below.

Steven Spurrier’s tasting notes:

High altitude Malbec from Argentina: Panel tasting results

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Weinert, Malbec Estrella 1977 is a legend because…

This was a wine from only the second vintage produced at this estate, and spent an astonishing 19 years in casks before being bottled and released. It was one of the first pure Malbecs to be presented internationally as a fine wine, helping to establish it as Argentina’s signature variety. The next Estrella Malbec would not be made until 1994 and, like its successors, was a selection of the very finest casks of wine. A few bottles of the 1977 Estrella remain in the Weinert cellars.

Looking back

Brazilian-born Bernardo Weinert bought a ruinous 19th-century winery in 1975, having previously made an extended study of soils and vines in the Mendoza area, and, after renovating the winery, he produced his first wines two years later. The winemaker then and for the next 20 years was Raúl de la Mota. From the outset, Estrella (meaning ‘star’) was the top wine from Weinert, showcasing the estate’s finest singlevarietal Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, depending on the year.

The vintage

Little is recorded about the climatic conditions in 1977, but construction work at the winery delayed the harvest, so the Malbec was picked at riper levels than was usual at the time.

The terroir

The Weinert vineyards are mainly in Luján de Cuyo and also in the higher sections of Maipú. There are 40ha here as well as a further 20ha in Patagonia. The elevation in Luján de Cuyo ranges from 850m to 1,100m, and the soils are rocky and sandy, although deep silt soils are preferred for Malbec. The vineyards drain well, although rainfall is low at 240mm and is amplified by flood irrigation. In 1977, however, most of the grapes were purchased, and those used for Estrella were more than 50 years old.

The wine

After a manual harvest the grapes are destemmed and fermented in concrete vats for up to nine days without prolonged maceration. For the first winter the wine stays on its fine lees. Weinert always ages its wines for a minimum of two years in underground cellars, but this 1977 is unusual in having spent 19 years in casks of 2,500 to 6,000 litres. For more than a year, Bernardo Weinert and current winemaker Hubert Weber taste various casks and make up the final blend before bottling.

The reaction

Decanter’s Anthony Rose tasted one of the surviving bottles at the winery in 2011, noting ‘Still very much alive, with the leathery maturity of a fine Bordeaux.’

The facts

Bottles produced 30,000

Composition 100% Malbec

Yield 2hl/ha

Alcohol content 15%

Release price $25 US

Price today £476

The El Niño weather cycle saw Argentina report its worst pre-harvest grape losses since 1957, with production in 2016 expected to be 27% smaller than 2015 across the country and 39% down in Mendoza.

First look: Argentina’s 2016 wine harvest

Weather associated with the El Niño phenomenon characterised the 2016 wine harvest in Mendoza.

A cool and wet spring set the harvest back by a month.

April was a wash out with 400% more rainfall than usual over 15 days complicating harvest times and adding botrytis to the list of problems alongside powdery and downy mildew.

The quantity of rain may be normal elsewhere, but wine producers in ‘the land of sun’ were left unprepared.

‘People are used to spraying here only twice a year, and this year you had to spray around eight times,’ said Catena Zapata’s vineyard manager, Luis Reginato.

As costs overlapped the market price for grapes, many producers abandoned their vines – prioritising only the top quality vineyards. Worst hit was eastern Mendoza with losses of up to 50%.

However, winemakers were still optimistic about the lower alcohol and fresher style of wines this vintage.

• READ ALSO: Argentinian Malbec blends – Panel tasting results

Uco Valley ‘silver lining’

The silver lining was in the Uco Valley. ‘The soils are poor so there was less of a problem with botrytis,’ said winemaker Sebastian Zuccardi, of the Zuccardi Wines.

‘It is a completely different year but the grapes are better than expected: sugar is low, pH is high and acidity is high.’

Throughout Mendoza alcohol took a dip with average registered levels only hitting 12% this year, a marked difference from the usual 13-14%.

Patagonia, San Juan & Salta

Elsewhere in Argentina, El Niño had a lesser effect.

‘We had a very good growing season: the winter started warm, but finished cold and spring was cool,’ said Piero Incisa della Rocchetta from Bodega Chacra in Patagonia, where a warm summer brought the harvest back up to speed.

San Juan also had a good year, making it – along with Patagonia – a major grape source for Mendoza producers.

In Salta, a spring frost produced a lower yield but finished in a promising vintage with good quality, according to producers.

• QUIZ: How much do you know about Malbec?

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Read on to see who has won the Best Sommelier in the World competition in Mendoza - the Olympics for sommeliers...

• Sweden’s Arvid Rosengren named Best Sommelier in the World in Mendoza final
• New York-based Rosengren says it is a victory for ‘hip hop and wine’
• Most competitors spend six years preparing for the event

Arvid Rosengren emerged from a field of 15 semi-finalists to claim the top prize at the best sommelier in the world competition in Mendoza, Argentina, at 1am local time on Wednesday 20 April.

• Take the Decanter sommelier quiz and see if you could challenge for the title…

‘It’s a dream’

‘I’m in a dream state,’ the 31-year-old sommelier said after being announced the winner in the black tie event.

Sommelier at a trendy New York restaurant for the last two years, Rosengren breaks the mould of the previous winning sommeliers. ‘At work I wear a buttoned-down shirt and sneakers, we play loud hip hop and drink old wine.’

• MWs vs Master Sommeliers: Who’s best at matching food and wine?

Six years of preparation

Most competitors have been preparing for at least six years for the tournament, which takes place every three years.

Sleepless nights, thousands of pounds invested in rare bottles, and zero social life are common elements of preparation. Japanese candidate Hiroshi Ishida spent last month living away from his wife and three children, for his final purgatory of preparation.

This year’s competition saw a record 61 candidates enter, and it cost the Argentine Sommelier Association £0.5m to host.

Quarter-Finals: Can you list Germany’s wine regions in reverse size order?

The quarter-finals kicked off with a blind tasting of two wines and four spirits, a theory exam and a service test.

A planned pitfall in the practical exam was failing to notice a dirty speck on one Champagne glass, and candidates reported theory questions asking for all the AOCs in Belgium and to list Germany’s wine regions by reverse size order.

The eventual semi-finalists were:

• Christian Jacobson from Denmark
• Heidi Makinen from Finland
• Henrik Dalh Johansen from Norway
• Raimonds Tomsons from Latvia
• Robert Andersson from Sweden
• Arvid Rosengren from Sweden
• Hiroshi Hishida from Japan
• David Biraud from France
• Paz Levinson from Argentina
• Satoru Mori from Japan
• Elyse Lambert from Canada
• Piotr Pietras from Poland
• Alexander Rassadkin from Russia
• Gareth Ferreira from South Africa
• Julie Dupouy from Ireland

The 15 semi-finalists rose early the next day for 10 tests, including another written theory, blind beverage and wine tasting, a restaurant wine menu proposal, food and wine pairing and dealing with tricky clientele.

‘The semi-final is always really hard – you are tired and you have to keep focused,’ explained Argentina’s Paz Levinson, already Best Sommelier of the Americas, who was papped by national press throughout.

Monday was a day off, before Tuesday afternoon’s final in front of 500 people and tv cameras at the Teatro Independencia in Mendoza city centre.

‘We have 15 incredibly talented semi-finalists but we will keep only three,’ announced Gerard Basset OBE MS MW, Best Sommelier in the World 2010 and co-chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards. ‘The winning semi-finalists keep 50% of their points from the quarter-final.’

The finalists announced were the two favourites from the outset, David Biraud from France and Arvid Rosengren from Sweden, and a dark horse, Julie Dupouy, representing Ireland. Rosengren was first on stage as the curtain lifted to reveal a mock restaurant with 23 judges eyeballing the competitors.

First up was a service task to make a dry martini and serve three glasses of a Champagne that was not in the ice bucket. Each candidate correctly offered an alternative.

• What does it take to become a Master Sommelier?

A whirlwind of tests over the different judging tables tested their ability to serve, blind taste, pair a wine list with a menu, spot mistakes in a wine list, and convince some clients to buy a few cases of an expensive wine.

‘This was not my first time in the finals, but there were lots of new tasks this year,’ Biraud said. ‘The most difficult part is to not feel the pressure.’

Candidates then had to recognise images shown on screen for 15 seconds, including of DecanterChina columnist Li Demei, Almaviva winery, and a Daktulosphaira Vitifoliae.

Finally, each candidate had to pour a magnum of Champagne equally into 15 glasses without any re-pours and empty the bottle. Tension was palpable, and it took seven minutes to do.

A short tango interlude eased the tension as the judges totted up the final scores.

An engraved Champagne bottle trophy was duly wheeled on stage before the finalists’ sweating brows and Shinya Tasaki announced Rosengren as the winner.

Biraud came second, Dupouy third, Paz Levinson fourth and Elyse Lambert fifth – making it three women in the top five of what has often been known as an all-gents club.

Updated 22/04/2016

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Since 1890, Pascual Toso has become one of the most exciting & promising Argentine wineries and remains faithful to its principles: tradition, authenticity and innovation...

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Pascual Toso, an Italian immigrant, founded the Pascual Toso winery in 1890, and in the early 20th century acquired 400 hectares in this region. Many charming stories and myths hide beneath the Barrancas river bed and still remain unveiled, giving us plenty of inspiration to develop excellence in our wine making philosophy.

Pascual Toso since 1890 has the mission to produce high quality wines that express Argentinian terroir. Our wines come from our 400 hectares estate in the eastern part of Mendoza called Barrancas, Maipú.

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Andeluna situated in Gualtallary (Uco Valley) offers wines with intense color, aromatic expression and structure reflecting its terroir. Manuel González (Chief-winemaker) highlights the use of wild natural yeast in the wines.

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Andeluna is situated on close to 200 acres above 1300 meters, in Gualtallary, Tupungato in the Uco Valley in the province of Mendoza. The wines from this small region, coming from a very mild area of Mendoza, offer a distinctive feature for their exceptional intensity in color, aromatic expression and structure. However, the interest in Gualtallary is not so much in its climate, but in its soils. In between rocks, through sands, from time to time there is limestone. This calcareous soil makes the difference: there you find the structure.

These soils which are hard to penetrate make it difficult for the roots of the vines to find depth and thus, they are not fertile. This produces wines with great concentration. For this reason, it is the terroir chosen to create original wine of great personality, where the mildness of the climate and the mineral characteristics of its soils dominate.

Manuel González, Chief winemaker at Andeluna, highlights the way they work the vineyards by making use of wild natural yeast. This is a growing trend in Uco Valley winemaking practices, where the main objective is to prioritize native micro flora instead of commercial yeasts.

Although it involves more risks and more focused on enological tasks, this practice is becoming a growing tendency. What is more important is to save the great potential of the indigenous flora present in the vines, that during fermentation translates into major aromatic complexity and into a minor necessity of incorporating nutrients and other additives. All this leads to minimum intervention winemaking. However, making good wine with wild yeast takes a watchful eye and informed decision making.

Bodega Andeluna brings more interesting news: the incorporation of Hans Vinding-Diers, as consultant enologist. Hans is one of the most recognized worldwide professionals in the wine industry. The main challenge he faces when incorporating as consultant is to work on our three lines: Pasionado, Altitud and Andeluna 1300.

One of the reasons why he accepted Andeluna´s proposal, is Gualtallary, where Manuel González has been working so hard together with his team. This unique terroir is, undoubtedly, where Hans will put his knowledge of different soils and his vast experience at work. This will maximize the quality of Andeluna´s wines in order to create new lines to introduce them to increasingly more demanding new markets.

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Bodegas Salentein is the heart and soul of the Uco Valley – a magnificent project that has captured the imagination of the Argentine people and wine lovers from around the world. Home to Portillo, Killka, and Salentein wines, Bodegas Salentein has created a new vision of quality and character for this remarkable region.

A decanter.com promotion

Bodegas Salentein honours and promotes the culture and people of the Uco Valley while making wines that find success throughout the world. In the Uco Valley Salentein farms more than 800 hectares of premium vineyards on an undulating estate of nearly 2,100 ha in total, and turns those grapes into great wine with Argentina’s leading winemaker, the legendary José Galante. The Uco Valley is clearly the future for Argentine wine. Its high elevation and stony alluvial soils create the perfect conditions for world-class wines. For twenty years Salentein has led the way in the Uco Valley, with a unique combination of estates that range over twenty two kilometers and five different micro climates. Here Salentein is making a lasting commitment to the people, environment, and future of Argentina and the Uco Valley, creating great wines while generating hope and opportunities for the people who live here.

San Pablo ‘A unique micro-terroir in the higher Uco Valley’

In 1996 Salentein bought a unique estate called ‘San Pablo.’ The estate is located at the highest elevation in Mendoza, ranging from 1,400 to 1,700 meters and has the coldest climate in the province. This ‘oasis’ microclimate is a combination of altitude, the Villegas snowmelt creek, annual rainfall of 450 mm, and superb soil structure. The ‘Villegas’ snowmelt creek crosses the 400 hectare San Pablo Estate, delivering pure mountain water while the alluvial soils of San Pablo, rich in calcareous stones, sand, lime, and a small proportion of clay, rest on rocky subsoil providing optimal water retention and excellent drainage. These special conditions in San Pablo allow our grapes to develop concentrated flavors in the grapes with balanced sugars, polyphenols and acids, resulting in well-structured wines with great natural acidity. The combination of San Pablo’s unique conditions and micro-climate produces world class Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc, as well as fresh and lively expressions of Malbec.

The 2015 Argentina Wine Awards confirmed the timeless character of this special micro-climate and named our 2012 Salentein Single Vineyard Chardonnay the champion of the ‘High End Chardonnay’ category and Decanter Magazine awarded 96 Points to this wine (Sarah Jane Evans MW). Other Salentein Wines crafted from the San Pablo grapes include: Salentein Single Vineyard Pinot Noir (awarded 94 points by Tim Atkin for the current 2013 vintage). Next October the new Salentein Single Vineyard San Pablo Malbec will be launched.

José Galante – Salentein’s Chief Winemaker

José Galante was born and raised in Mendoza. Today, he is considered one of the most influential and important winemakers in the country. Before joining Bodegas Salentein in 2010, Galante led the Catena Zapata Group for more than thirty years and worked with numerous international wine consultants. Further, he was a respected professor for more than 10 years at Universidad J. A. Maza, the most prestigious winemaking university in Argentina. Galante is passionate about his profession and has helped transform the Argentine wine industry, something he believes he has achieved in part by simply, ‘living each day to the fullest.’

Other renowned wines from Salentein: Salentein Barrel Selection Malbec, Numina Cabernet Franc, Numina Gran Corta and the iconic Primus Malbec.

Why not visit

Killka Espacio Salentein KILLKA is a truly innovative artistic and cultural complex adjacent to Bodegas Salentein, KILLKA features two art exhibition rooms – one for a permanent collection and one for temporary exhibits; a state-of-the art conference and event room; a wine shop; a wine bar; a restaurant; a posada or guesthouse and a chapel crafted with ancestral technique. Posada Salentein is the clear leader in wine tourism and a true pioneer as the first winery hotel in the Uco Valley.

Drinks giant Diageo has now offloaded the majority of its wine interests with the sale of its Argentinian business to the country’s largest producer, Grupo Peñaflor.

Peñaflor will add the Navarro Correas and San Telmo wine brands, as well as their production sites and vineyards, to a portfolio that already includes Finca Las Moras, Trapiche and Bodegas Santa Ana.

The sale for an undisclosed sum follows Diageo’s disposal last month of its US-based Chateau and Estate Wines, and UK business Percy Fox, in a US$600m deal with Penfolds owner Treasury Wine Estates.

• READ: Diageo sells Blossom Hill to Treasury Wine Estates

Diageo is also reported to have put its Chalone California wine business up for sale after Treasury Wine Estates opted not to include it in the deal.

With the sale of Chalone, Diageo’s only remaining wine interests would include London merchant Justerini & Brooks, plus local wine brands owned by Mey Içki in Turkey and USL in India.

Speaking after the sale to Treasury, which included Beaulieu Vineyards, Sterling Vineyards, Blossom Hill and Le Piat d’Or, Diageo CEO Ivan Menezes said wine was ‘no longer core’ to the business.

Under the terms of the Peñaflor deal, which is likely to be completed early next year, the Argentinian company is appointed local distributor of Diageo’s international spirits brands and, after an interim period, will jointly produce with Diageo its domestic spirits brands across Argentina.

See Lonely Planet's recommendations for four Mendoza wineries to visit when travelling the region, from their new wine travel book, Wine Trails.

Four Mendoza wineries to visit

• READ: Wine Trails: Mendoza travel guide

Tapiz

You’ll know you’ve arrived at Tapiz when you spot the llamas. Dozens graze in the fields around the vineyards, controlling weeds, producing fertiliser and providing wool that local artisans use to make traditional blankets and ponchos, on sale to visitors in the winery’s boutique. The picturesque llama family is a pleasingly old-fashioned counterpoint to the state-of-the-art (and sustainable) winemaking technology Tapiz employs inside. The two signature wines are Malbec and Torrontés, made with grapes harvested here, in Agrelo, as well as in the Uco Valley and further afield in Argentina’s northernmost wine region of Cafayate in Salta. They’re presided over, in part, by the world-renowned French winemaker Jean-Claude Berrouet, who works as a consultant with the brand. For a particularly memorable experience, book a tour of the vineyard by horse-drawn carriage, followed by tasting wines straight from the barrels.

www.bodega-tapiz.com.ar; tel +54 261-490 0202; Ruta Provincial (RP) 15, km 32; 9.30am- 4.30pm Mon-Fri, to 12.30pm Sat & holidays

Ruca Malén

According to the cofounder of Bodega Ruca Malén, you don’t need to hear descriptions of his wines: you need to taste them yourself. ‘As is the case with any work of art,’ Jean Pierre Thibaud has said, ‘pleasure can only derive from personal discovery’.

Perhaps the best way to discover this particular wine experience is through a leisurely meal at the restaurant. The five-course lunch with wine pairings, served in a sun-filled dining space overlooking the surrounding vineyards, is considered one of the finest in Mendoza. A word to the wise: after indulging in a feast like this one, you might not have any room left for tasting more wine until the following day. Although the winery takes its name from an old Mapuche legend, the wine tastings and blending classes at Ruca Malén are all about modern winemaking techniques.

www.bodegarucamalen.com; tel +54 261-15 4540974; RN 7, km 1059, Agrelo; tastings 10am, 11am & 3.30pm Mon-Fri, 10am & 11am Sat

Catena Zapata

Like Mendoza itself, Catena Zapata represents an appealing balance between old traditions and contemporary winemaking. The vineyard was founded by Nicola Catena, an Italian immigrant to Argentina who planted his first Malbec vines in 1902. It later became the experimental playground for Nicolás Catena — arguably the most celebrated winemaker in Argentina — and his daughter, Laura, current president of Bodega Catena Zapata and author of the talked-about 2010 book Vino Argentino: An Insider’s Guide to the Wines and Wine Country of Argentina. Her energetic and unpretentious approach is revolutionising the face of Argentinian wines. Look for Luca, Laura’s line of small-quantity, artisanal-quality wine made from Argentina’s old vines; taste the winery’s classic Malbecs straight from the barrels or the fermentation tanks on one of several tour and tasting options for visitors.

www.catenawines.com; tel +54 261-413 1100; Cobos s/n, Agrelo; 9am-6pm Mon-Fri

Salentein

Located in the Uco Valley, the Dutch-owned Bodega Salentein is as much an architectural landmark as a destination for wine enthusiasts. The main building was designed in the shape of a cross. Each of the four wings serve as a small winery with two levels — stainless steel tanks and French wooden vats on one floor, and an underground cellar for aging wine in oak casks on the other. The central chamber, or the crux of the cross, functions as a state-of-the-art amphitheatre modelled after the look and feel of a classical temple.

Check the calendar ahead of time: in addition to regular tastings, Salentein hosts a line-up of musical performances and art exhibitions in its barrel room and gallery. Where better to sample the brand’s famous Pinot Noir from the 2009 harvest? Make a weekend of it and check into the 16-room Posada Salentein. Don’t miss the fantastic Sunday asado criollo, a traditional Argentinian barbecue with a gourmet twist — the feast lasts for several hours.

www.bodegasalentein.com; tel +54 026-2242 9500; RP 89, Los Árboles, Tunuyán; 9am-5pm Mon-Sat

Reproduced with permission from Wine Trails, 1st edn. © 2015 Lonely Planet.

Saddle up for some adventurous tasting in the mountainous capital of Argentina’s thriving wine scene, where old-world expertise meets new-world innovation, with our travel guide from Lonely Planet's new book Wine Trails.

Maybe you can’t distinguish between Italian wine regions on a map, or explain the difference between French and American oak barrels. But unless you’ve been living under a rock, chances are you’ve noticed that right now Argentina is hot on the international wine scene. Think about it: you can’t glance at a wine list without seeing the word ‘Malbec’, or turn on the radio without hearing a chef talk about the best-value Argentinian bottles for your summer barbecue.

• READ: Four Mendoza wineries to visit

If the runaway popularity of Argentinian wine strikes you as sudden, you’re not alone. Even Argentinian people didn’t realise how fantastic their wine could be until fairly recently, though it’s safe to say they were always fully aware of the natural beauty of Mendoza. The nation’s wine-producing capital occupies a spectacular stretch of sun-drenched landscape at the foot of the snowcapped Andes. Even if there weren’t any vineyards around, it would still be a popular travel destination, thanks to its gorgeous weather and picture-perfect opportunities for hiking, horseback riding, skiing, fishing, whitewater rafting or cycling. Luckily for travellers there is indeed a glass, or several, waiting for you at the end of that bike ride.

• OFFER: Use code TRAIL25 to get 25% off Wine Trails and all other Lonely Planet titles

The wine produced in Mendoza, whether in the longer-established region of Luján de Cuyo or the up-and-coming Uco Valley, isn’t just the product of the natural landscape. It’s the result of a new generation of winemakers that knows the rules of French or Italian winemaking – and knows how to break them. It’s a South American playground for innovation, the meeting point between tradition and new technology. Raise your glass: here in Mendoza, it’s a brave new world.

Get there

Mendoza El Plumerillo is the nearest major airport, 8km from Mendoza. Car hire is available.

Mendoza travel guide: Where to stay

Huentala Hotel

Complete with a wine cellar, this elegant 81- room hotel is located near one of Mendoza’s main squares – a good choice if you’d like to stay in town.

www.huentala.com; tel +54 261-420 0766; Primitivo de la Reta 1007, Mendoza

Casa de Uco Vineyars & Wine Resort

This sleek, sustainably built lakeside getaway, featuring a stylish restaurant and complimentary horseback riding on its large property, is located within easy reach of many of the best wineries in the Uco Valley.

www.casadeucoresort.com; tel +54 9261-476 9831; RP 94, km 14.5, Tunuyán

Mendoza travel guide: Where to eat

Bodega Melipal

The lavish lunch with wine pairings in Luján de Cuyo, overlooking vineyards nearly as far as the eye can see, is a wine-country classic.

www.bodegamelipal.com; tel +54 261-479 0202; Ruta 7, km 1056, Agrelo

1884 Restaurante

Located in a romantic old house and courtyard garden, 1884 is a landmark restaurant by pioneering Argentinian chef and winemaker Francis Mallmann.

www.1884restaurante.com.ar; tel +54 261-424 3336; Belgrano 1188, Mendoza

Mendoza travel guide: What to do

Arrange a hike, a horse-riding excursion, a rafting adventure, or even a side trip to Aconcagua — the highest point in the southern hemisphere — with one of the many outdoor outfitters in town. For an active excursion closer to the city centre, rent a bicycle, either independently or as part of an organised winery tour. Back in town, stop by the Vines of Mendoza tasting room to sample wine from the surrounding region.

www.vinesofmendoza.com; tel +54 261-438 1031; Belgrano 1194, Mendoza

Celebrations

The event of the year in Mendoza is the Fiesta de la Vendimia, or the annual harvest festival, taking over the city for 10 days at the beginning of March. Although the celebration honours all of the region’s fruits, the grape, of course, takes centre stage. Highlights include traditional foods, folkloric concerts and a colourful parade and pageant to crown the queen of the festival. Be sure to book ahead: Vendimia draws huge crowds, both from Argentina and abroad.

www.vendimia.mendoza.gov.ar

Reproduced with permission from Wine Trails, 1st edn. © 2015 Lonely Planet.

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Wine is like the people who make it and drink it. It’s like the land from where it is born and it’s reflected in the people who want to be near it. Here are seven indispensable things you need to know...

Read more from Wines of Argentina here

In the planisphere of wine, Argentina occupies a curious place: neither old nor new world, each one with its own part to play. But more importantly, it offers things that are unique, not only for its terroirs but also for its people. In this article we review seven things you need to know about Argentina, its wines and its food.

Altitude, the secret.

Argentina has a handful of vineyards next to the ocean, like most growing regions of the world, but has the bulk of its vineyards between 600 and 2000 meters above sea level. This factor means that along a 1500km line of mountains several oases are developed in which the vines grow under widely varying conditions, all linked to a single factor: altitude. The altitude compensates for the latitude since, for every 150m of ascent, the average temperature drops by 1°C. So it is possible to make wines in Salta, on the Tropic of Capricorn, and in Hoyo de Epuyén on the 42º parallel south latitude. And the scenery changes from rugged mountain valleys and villages of cactus in the north, to desert plains and broad valleys in the centre, finishing off in well nourished forests or on the green coastline of the ocean. Naturally, the wines also change.

The desert, a vast landscape.

Beyond the altitude, the common denominator of Argentine wine is the desert. Since 99% of the vineyards are planted on irrigated oases. Three key points influence the wines:

1) Controlled irrigation water, the harvests are roughly coupled in volume and quality, except those years when the uncontrollable El Niño touches down;

2) The sun is a constant, producing reds with a deep red colour;

3) The breadth of the temperature range between day and night becomes a natural systole and diastole, which produces reds with structure and body. Thus, the low, warm deserts, of the East of Mendoza or the central valleys of San Juan, give aromatic reds with little structure, while the high altitude terroirs, like the Uco Valley, Luján de Cuyo and the Valleys of Calchaquíes, provide fruity reds, with good structure and natural concentration.

A long history.

Contrary to popular belief, Argentina is a country with a long history of wines. Its international position as a producer came about fairly recently, beginning in the 1990’s and especially in 2000. However, the wine regions of western Argentina such as Mendoza, San Juan, La Rioja, Catamarca and Salta – have been in production for 300 years. This explains why there is such a vast knowledge of the terroir and its management when making wine. The best example is Torrontés: a native variety, grown since the beginning of 1700, which is now internationally recognised.

Immigration, key component.

Between 1860 and 1930, over five million people came to Argentina, mainly from Italy, Spain and France, but also Lebanon, Poland and Germany among many other countries. They settled mainly in the east, although many migrated west in search of new opportunities. So in the span of a lifetime, Argentina developed a palette for the wine and gastronomic flavours of the immigrants. Wine was however, the key. Today, as well as Malbec, Cabernet and Merlot, it is possible to find vineyard varieties as curious as Canari, Tocai Friulano and Touriga Nacional. Along with others, they make up a very large varietal area, a natural lung for the requests that future markets will begin to ask for.

Diversity.

Precisely because of its long history, and because there are many productive oases, Argentina offers an unusual diversity of regions and wines, which the world is only now acknowledging. On the one hand, varieties and forms of cultivation; on the other, soils and climates. Thus, behind a variety like Malbec, many styles of wine are hidden if the tasting is by terroir: matte reds, spicy and powerful in Salta; violet and fruity reds in Lujan de Cuyo; deep violet reds, floral, fruity and structured in the Uco Valley; violet, slightly herbal and fruity reds in Patagonia. And all that, without going into other varieties or styles. Because Argentina offers a vast range of wines to discover.

What do Argentines drink?

With a long tradition of consumption, today we drink about 24 litres per capita per year. Mostly red, with Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon being the most popular. In the last thirty years, however, customs have changed: we went from being a country that consumed low cost wines at all meals, to one that consumes better quality and higher priced wines, with some meals. In addition to other structural changes, this generated an exportable surplus that, from the beginning of the 1990s, internationalised the Argentine taste for wine. So, today you can find everything from everyday, light reds with accessible price ranges, to high-end reds and whites. Together on the shelf with wines from many other countries.

It’s not all asado.

What catches the attention of foreigners the most with regards to Argentine culinary customs is meat and asado. And it’s true: there is a cult of asado, a ritual meeting with family and friends, a discussion of cooking techniques and the expertise of the parrillero (the person making the asado) in order to achieve the very best. However, the asado is at most a weekly gathering. Meanwhile, dry and especially fresh pastas, pizzas with mozzarella, empanadas of all kinds and milanesas, coupled with excellent quality vegetables and dairy products, make the local diet more complex. A diet which is accompanied by wines, from light rosé wines to deep reds, to aromatic and well rounded whites.

With this background, the next time a bottle from Argentina is uncorked, whether it be Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon or Torrontés, besides the usual descriptors in the glass, there will also be a more distant and full horizon from a country that has so much to give and discover, locked in their bottles.

http://blog.winesofargentina.com/what-do-you-need-to-know-about-argentina-to-know-its-wines/

Written by Joaquín Hidalgo

Punching above its weight, this is a real treat, with floral, deep and dark fruits on the nose enhanced by a touch of mint. The textured palate displays brilliant balance between the oak and the fruit, has a naturally fresh feel to it and a long, velvety finish (14.5%).

£7.99 Majestic

TWO SOUTH AMERICAN wines and one from Greece made our shortlist for this always keenly fought International Trophy. But it was Viñalba with this fruit-driven Malbec made by a French ex-patriot that won over the judges in the end, thanks to its combination of deep flavours, herbal edge, pleasing savoury notes and lovely aromatics. It’s a multi-faceted red wine, with the panel also noting dark and floral nuances, as well as a smoky tinge and grippy tannins.

Hervé Joyaux Fabre is both winemaker and proprietor of Bodegas Fabre, which owns three wineries in Argentina: Fabre Montmayou, Viñalba and Phebus. A Bordelais by birth, he has been something of a wine renaissance man in his professional career, working first as a négociant in Bordeaux, then immersed in the wine buying world at a supermarket chain, before finally taking up ‘the job I prefer’, as he puts it – wine producer.

One Regional Trophy for the Fabre Montmayou, Reservado Cabernet Franc 2014 (see p57) and two International Trophies – this one and another Malbec (see opposite page) at this year’s DWWA are a vindication of that decision.

Winning an International Trophy is an impressive achievement for a wine in its first vintage, but Fabre had a clear vision for Parilla Malbec from the start.

‘With Parilla we want, first and foremost, to express the wine’s purity of fruit,’ he says. ‘We are aiming for a really fruit-driven wine, with a clear definition of the Malbec variety.’ The grapes for this wine are sourced from a number of sites across Mendoza, the common thread between them being consistent warmth, cool nights and a long growing season.

Hervé Joyaux Fabre and his wife Diane have enjoyed remarkable success at the DWWA

Tasted against

Concha y Toro, Marques de Casa Concha País-Cinsault, Chile 2014 • Mitravelas Estate, Red on Black, Nemea, Peloponnese, Greece 2014.

It is the most widely planted red grape, the most exported and the one that best represents each terroir of the country. But why does it not have this significance in other countries? The answer is in its long history.

How is it that a grape completely unknown to the general public, can become so well known? That is surely the question that all consumers ask when they first hear about Malbec as the flagship grape of Argentina. And they are right. Because it’s strange how things happen in the business of wine, and the story of Malbec is a curious one.

Malbec. With that sonorous name, with the accent on the e (Malbéc), is the name given to a grape variety that has travelled the world throughout history. With other names such as Côt, Auxerrois or Pressac. From its origin, in southwest France, in the town of Cahors – about 200 km from Bordeaux – to Crimea in Ukraine, Santiago de Chile, California, Australia and of course, Argentina.

Its fame dates back to medieval times, when it filled the cups of the English and the French at a time when Bordeaux was not what it is today. With its dark colour and fruity aromas – it was known as the black wine from Cahors and conquered the refined palate of Peter the Great (1672-1725), Tsar of Russia. Thanks to him, and his successor Catherine (1729-1796), it was planted in Crimea, and today it gives life to a wine called Kahor and caused a storm in the cups of the Black Sea.

On its journey around the globe, Malbec had its highs and lows. While it was the wine of popes and kings in the late Middle Ages as William H. Beezley detailed in his work ‘The path of Malbec’ – its decline was marked by two important factors. One, that the wine producers of Bordeaux closed off the River Lot to the producers of Cahors, a tributary of the Garonne, the Lot was the artery that caused a sort of historical embolism of Malbec – when the red wine traders had no more river to export. Two, the arrival of phylloxera. This aphid wiped out European vineyards in a few decades. And among them, Malbec, as the French know only too well.

To the boats!

However, it was saved from total ruin by the same thing in fact, that caused its demise. For as phylloxera arrived in Europe from the hand of naturalists keen to experiment by bringing American vines to the old continent, in whose roots the stowaway hid, those same naturalists, driven by entrepreneurial spirit, carried European vines to other corners of the globe to see if they adapted well. And among those corners, Santiago de Chile was a key stop.

It was there that, in 1845, Malbec cuttings arrived for propagation. They did not come alone, of course, but were part of many other vines to be introduced. Those in charge came up with a plan: to make Chilean valleys a promising land of wines, in the image and likeness of France. Inspired by the spirit of the Enlightenment era, one of the key figures that fuelled the idea of that future was Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (1811-1888).

Born in San Juan, Argentina, he had been exiled to the other side of the Andes for political reasons. A visionary and entrepreneur, Sarmiento proposed the creation of the Quintas Normales as had been done in the Escuela Normal de París, in order to train their farmers.

The point is that Sarmiento’s idea was a success, and on his return from exile, he brought the idea and the experience back to Argentina. The Quinta Normal was founded in Mendoza on April 17, 1853, commemorated today as Malbec World Day – and Michel Aimé Pouget (1821-1875), who was in charge of the school in Chile, was summoned to run it. And so on the back of a mule, Malbec and other French grapes crossed the Andes. Interestingly, the site that now occupies the Quinta Normal is the Government House of Mendoza.

From there, the knowledge of viticulture and Malbec was spread throughout the rest of Argentina. First to the North, with stops in the provinces of San Juan, La Rioja, Catamarca and Salta, where the vine was already being cultivated with care. Fifty years later, to the South, along the banks of the Rio Negro, where it adapted and multiplied in each region depending on the soil and climate. The years would shape the diverse heritage that Argentina now offers thanks to the variety.

The French revival

There are those who still refer to it as the French Malbec grape. It had its a moment of glory, when the local wine industry peaked in the 1960s. According to the numbers published by historian Pablo Lacoste in ‘History of Malbec, Argentina’s flagship strain’, the maximum number of hectares planted reached 58,600. Hectares that were then plucked out of the ground because the wine business, as with the vagaries of the economy, went into a deep crisis of consumption, here and worldwide: people were drinking less wine than before.

The 1990s, however, offered a moment of hope. In the global market, new consumer countries like the United States and Canada were found while other older consumers, like England and the Netherlands, realised that their European neighbours were not the only ones producing good wine. And like an old fairy tale in which the main character wakes up after a long sleep, Malbec, which had managed to win over the palates beyond the seas once before, now returned to seduce them again.

But the story had changed its setting. Argentina was now the only country in the world in which the variety had increased, (in Chile it was rejected in favour of Cabernet Sauvignon). And this was set to continue. From 1990 to date, some 24,000 hectares of Malbec have been planted. With a total of 38,000 cultivated in 2014, Malbec covers all of the wine-growing areas of Argentina, more than in any other part of the globe: in France, the country with the most hectares, there are about 5000, while all the producers put together, minus Argentina, reach 10,000.

But more importantly, in sunny terroirs with rocky soils, Malbec has developed a completely new profile. Fruity aromas, full-bodied and at the same time with a silky touch, it offers a friendly flavour to drinkers of the new world. And so, a variety that had been long forgotten returns to be enjoyed once more. The rest is history.

Written by Joaquin Hidalgo